For 35 years Steve Shippos taught physical education and coached football and wrestling at Baldwin High School, where he simultaneously molded young boys into men.

His record speaks for itself with 355 victories, four dual meet county championships in the 1980s, a New York State Cup title in 1983, and dual meet and tournament titles in 1986.

Shippos had countless Christmas and holiday tournament victories in his career because he knew how to get the most out of his wrestlers. He was a powerful motivator who practiced for perfection and demanded that in his athletes performances, including four state champions, 20+ county champions, and countless county place-winners.

After four years in the Baldwin wrestling room, you graduated with the tools to be successful in life. Every wrestler in the state knew that if you were competing against a Baldwin wrestler, he would be well coached, conditioned and would never give up.

Steve embarked on his life in wrestling under the aegis of coaches Orlando Turco and Bill Layton at Ithaca High School in Upstate New York.

After winning almost every possible honor as a wrestler and a football player, Shippos went to Iowa State University where he was coached by Dr. Harold Nicols. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier for the Cyclones, capturing a Big Eight title and earning All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA tournament in 1966.

He continued to wrestler after college, competing for the New York Athletic Club from 1966-1972, winning a Wilkes Open title and being a four-time AAU All-American.

In addition to his winning football and wrestling teams at Baldwin, Steve's success can be measured by the number of future coaches who came out of his program, either as his assistant coach or athletes. Baldwin alumni who went on to coach include Tom Fitzpatrick (Wheatley H.S.), Tom Reynolds (East Meadow), Mike Robinson (Baldwin), T.J. Cavaliere (CT), his father, Tommy Cavaliere (Southside Jr. High) Chris Critchley (Valley Gardens), Mike Stanly (Carey), Steven Shippos Jr. (New Hampshire), Joe Sabel (USSMA), Ray Adams (Long Beach), Paul Gillespie (Long Beach) and Oceanside), Dave Sanford (North Shore), and Nick Dionisio (Lynbrook).

The community-minded Shippos ran the Baldwin Kid wrestling program for more than 30 years, resulting in two coaching stints in Europe, including one when his son Kevin won a World Championship in Hungary in 1995.

In Baldwin where he lives and raised his family, Steve is known as a generous and caring man. He enjoys visiting with former students and athletes and always asks about families when he meets former colleagues.

The Downstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame thanks Steve Shippos for making wrestling all the better and is proud to present him with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award.