Rick Perkins coached the Chenango Forks Central High School wrestling team to a remarkable record of 306-95-10 in 31 seasons. From 1981 to 2006, Rick also held the position of Athletic Director at Chenango Forks, leading him to sometimes assume the position of assistant coach, sometimes head coach, as circumstances dictated. In either role, he was instrumental to the consistent success of the Forks wrestling program. Those teams won ten division titles, three Susquenango Association titles, and a NYSPHSAA Section IV Team Championship. They also took championships at the Windsor Tournament and the Oneonta Tournament. Rick coached 26 Section IV individual champions, six New York State champions, 14 state place winners, and six wrestlers who went on to be NCAA All-Americans. Among those wrestlers is the outstanding Troy Nickerson who won the NYS Championships every year from 2001 to 2005, making him the only 5-time NYS Champion, and who took second and third place at the NCAAs in 2006 and 2007, respectively, wrestling for Cornell. Injuries have kept Troy from wrestling this year, but watch for him in 2009. Rick certainly will be doing so. Rick's contributions to wrestling have gone beyond the practice room and the mats through his activities on behalf of such organizations as the New York State Wrestling Coaches Association, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, USA Wrestling and the Cornell Wrestling Club. From 1992 to 1996, Rick served as Chairman of Section IV Wrestling. The National Wrestling Coaches Association honored Rick by naming him New York Assistant Coach of the Year, 1997-1998. He was chosen as Section IV Coach of the Year in 2006; and immediately after retiring, he was inducted into the Section IV Hall of Fame in 2007. Rick and his wife, Elizabeth (Beth), have been married over thirty years. They are the proud parents of a son and a daughter. The New York State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to present the Lifetime Service Award to Rick Perkins.