Paul Cummings career in coaching has been quite unique. Paul was a varsity wrestler for Hall of Fame coach, Bob Zifchock, at Valley Central. Coach Zifchock described Paul as, "a student of wrestling who was always in quest to learn more than anyone else." Following high school, Paul attended Orange Community College where he first started his career in coaching. Instead of wrestling, Paul elected to coach modified wrestling at Goshen Central School for his two-year stint at OCC. Cummings then traveled to SUNY Cortland to finalize his undergraduate degree in physical education. In his first year at Cortland State, Paul became the varsity assistant coach at Cortland High School and then became the varsity coach for two more years while attending Cortland State. Middletown Enlarged City School in Section IX was his next stop. Paul took over a struggling program and transformed it into one of the best in the section. He would stay at Middletown Enlarged City School District for 12 years and build a very impressive resume of individual champions, including Steve Garland, Rocco and Phillip Mansueto, and team championships. However, in 1999 Paul was recruited to return to his alma mater, Valley Central, to take the reins. While at Valley Central, Paul accomplishments speak for themselves. He coached 16 state finalists (most in Section IX history) and 10 state champions (most in Section IX history) and in 2005 his Valley Central team won the New York Tournament State Team Championship amassing 129 points. Additionally, Paul's Valley Central teams have won five Section IX Dual Meet Team Championships and were Section IX's tournament champions for nine years. Furthermore, he has been named the Section IX Coach of the Year three times and in 2002-03 he was selected New York State Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaching Association - Scholastic Division. Paul has recently embarked on a wrestling officials' career and presently is working in the Section I and Section IX associations. Paul has indicated that he is really enjoying the new contact with the sport. With any kind of luck we should be seeing Paul at the NYSPHSAA Championships in the near future in a different role. Paul stated that one of the highlights of his coaching career was the 2005 NYSPHSAA finals where he guided 4 individuals into the finals. That evening Lou Ruggirello, Ricky Scott and Ed Bordas became state champions and Sean Bauer would finish second to Troy Nickerson. Coach Cummings fondest memory as a team was when his Vikings wrestled arch rivals Minisink Valley. Coach Gallagher from Minisink had arranged for the telecasting of the first dual meet in Section IX on Cable 6, a local TV channel. The match was tightly contested and came down to the very last bout when the Vikings were able to come out victoriously. Cummings commented, "it was one of the best dual meets in Section IX history and great for promoting the sport." Sal Interdonato, sports reporter from the Time Herald, summarized Cummings coaching philosophy, "Valley Central ducks no one, Coach Cummings wants the best competition he can get for his teams." Great competition produces champions! Coach Cummings takes great satisfaction in having many of his former wrestlers become successful college and high school coaches. Some of these individuals include Steve Garland who has been an assistant coach at Cornell and presently the mentor at the University of Virginia, Joe Pistone who coaches at the University of Southern Maine, Rocco Mansueto an assistant at West Point and now serves as an assistant at UT Chattanooga, Phil Mansueto an assistant coach at Bloomberg College, Jason Lichtenstein who presently is the varsity coach at Middletown Enlarged City and Ricky Scott who coaches at the Hudson Valley Wrestling Club. "Nothing gives me more gratification than to see my former wrestlers give back so much to the sport of wrestling," stated Coach Cummings. Paul is extremely proud of his three sons who were wrestlers as well ... Corey, the oldest, is attending the SUNY - Maritime College; Kenny is a junior at Binghamton University and youngest son Collin is at Cortland State looking to shadow his father's footsteps as a physical education teacher. Paul and his wife, Jennifer, who has been very supportive of Paul throughout the years, make their home in Montgomery, NY. It is with great pleasure that the Upstate New York Chapter of the NWHOF recognize the dedication and accomplishments of Coach Paul Cummings with his induction into the Hall of Fame.