Like a good many coaches with polysyllabic last names, Annand Cacciatore has acquired a nickname. He is known as "Ace" to most friends and associates, and as "Coach Ace'' to his wrestlers. His coaching careers panned some 40 years and contributed to the success of both the wrestling and football programs at Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Section VI. Ace began his coaching career at Glendive High School in Montana where he ran the wrestling program for three years during the late 1950s. He arrived at Niagara-Wheatfield High School in 1960 and immediately began to mold the wrestlers there into winners. His tenure as Head Wrestling Coach there ran from 1960 to 1971 and from 1978 to 1994. That gap in the middle years coincides with his assuming the post of a Head Football Coach at Niagara-Wheatfield, which he held from 1970 to 1996. Ace's wrestling teams at Niagara-Wheatfield compiled a record of some 330 wins and 30 losses. They claimed 17 league championships and seven Section VI championships. They sent more than 35 wrestlers to the New York State Championships, more than any other school in Section VI. For quite a while they seemed unbeatable, putting together one winning streak of 55 wins and another streak of 77 victories. At one point they won four straight league championships. During the early 1980s, Ace took his team to West Point where they placed third in the Team Championships and thereby earned the third place ranking in New York State. One of his wrestlers, Frank Patterson, earned a state championship. Additionally, the year after Ace left the program, two of the wrestlers he had coached and developed became state champions. Mention should also be made of Ace's success as a football coach. His teams compiled a record of 171 wins and 58 losses. On five occasions his team played for the Section VI championship at Rich Stadium, winning three of those contests. One of his teams made it to the New York State semi-finals where they lost a heart breaker to Vestal in overtime. Ace was named Section VI Football Coach of the Year in 1987, 1994 and 1996. The wrestling community of New York State has also recognized Ace's ability and accomplishments. He was designated as Section VI Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1967. He was inducted into the Niagara-Wheatfield Coaches Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1998, he was inducted into the New York State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and also honored as New York State Wrestling Coach of the Year. Ace also became an honored member of the Western New York Greater Buffalo Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002. Like all great coaches, Ace develops the character as well as the skills of his athletes. He is a long standing member of Christian Athletes in Action. For nine years he was an inspiring presence while working the Jerry Butler Christian Athletes in Action Football Camps. Ace Cacciatore has been married to his wife, Mimi, for 36 years. They now reside in Lewiston, New York and spend their winters in Florida. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Wrestling in the State of New York, and of his dedication to the young athletes in his charge, the New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame hereby bestows upon Armand Cacciatore his membership in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.