Tony started wrestling at the age of 5 in River Falls, Wisconsin, and has been involved in the sport as a competitor, official, and coach. He is currently the Manager of Grassroots Development for USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs, CO. As a competitor, Black was a USA Wrestling Cadet All-American in 1996 and FILA Junior All-American in 2000. Black won two state high school titles before heading to the University of Wisconsin. He was a Division I All-American for the Badgers. Following his career as an athlete, Black was an assistant coach at Wisconsin and then the state coach for the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, where he coached freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. He has also done work for Fox Sports Net North as the commentator for Wisconsin state high school wrestling tournaments.