A native of Perry who helped Perry High School win three straight state championships, Mark Kirk competed one year collegiately at Claremore Junior College and graduated from Oklahoma State University. He spent 13 years as head coach at both Heritage Hall High School and Junior High, then went on to coach junior high and high school in Yukon and Edmond before retiring in 2007 after 28 years. Kirk led Heritage Hall to one state runner-up finish and he won 241 duals and five conference titles as a combined junior high and high school head coach. He coached 28 high school state placers, including 10 champions, and had 10 junior high state champions among 48 placers. Since leaving the coaching ranks, Kirk has continued to support wrestling in a variety of roles. He researched, wrote and published a book on the rich history of Perry wrestling called "The Maroon Dynasty" in 2008 and served as president of the Perry Wrestling Monument Park Steering Committee that oversaw construction of the park that opened in 2016. For his continued love and devotion to the sport, Mark Kirk is honored with the 2017 Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.