Tim Jenks recalls a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon in January, 1967. He had just finished junior high morning basketball practice and had nothing to do for the rest of the day when a neighborhood friend called and told him about a big wrestling match that afternoon. Sidney High would be squaring off against the Forks, and his friend promised it would be a lot of fun. After some prodding, Jenks decided to go. That afternoon changed the trajectory of his life. Tim recalls it as a real close match, with about 1,000 in attendance. He witnessed the two Payne brothers, Mark and Randy, as well as the Forks' Dana Ellis, wrestle. Tim came home from the match and stated to his dad that he would be going out for wrestling the next year. He finished out the basketball season, but in 8th grade, went out for the junior high wrestling team. The wrestling bug had bit him and he never looked back. "I loved it", Jenks recalled, and he went on to start on the varsity at Chenango Forks the following year, win three sectional titles and take third in the state as a junior. Tim also found time to excel in football and track, setting school records in both sports. His progress in wrestling ultimately caught the attention of Syracuse coach Ed Carlin, who was re-building the Syracuse program. Tim, who was recruited along with several other upstate wrestling standouts, eventually scored scholarships for both football and wrestling at the "Cuse, served as captain of the freshman football team, but dropped football in his sophomore year. He started all four years at Syracuse, placed twice in the EIWA's, qualified for the NCAAs and was team captain his senior year. An injury his senior year kept him out of the EIWA's. Tim recalls with fondness his Syracuse teammates, whom he manages to get together with annually for the NCAA's, as well as the occasional round of golf. Tim credits Ed Carlin for for his successes at Syracuse. After graduating from Syracuse with a degree in biology, Tim went on to teach at Harpursville High for five years, and then at Greene High School for the next thirty three years. He was the head coach at Harpursville for five years and the head coach at Greene for his entire career there. While at Greene, Tim produced ten state champs, five state runners-up and numerous state place-winners. His wrestlers included two-time state champ Nick Wilcox and Tyler Beckwith, who was twice voted outstanding wrestler at Eastern States and also won four high school national championships. Under Tim's tutelage, the Greene High wrestling teams were ranked in the top five in New York State for five years and in the top ten for eighteen years. Team accolades included a four-year unbeaten dual meet streak, sectional second place finishes ten years and three sectional team championships. In 2015, Tim was recognized for his 400th team win. Among his many awards, Tim was voted into the Section IV Sports Hall of Fame as an outstanding athlete in football and wrestling. In 1995, he was presented with the New York State Coaches Honor Award and was voted the outstanding coach in Section IV no fewer than six times. Tim married Diane, his high school sweetheart, while at Syracuse. Tim and Diane have a son, Kelsey, who was twice an all-state football player in high school, and a daughter, Meghan, who was an outstanding gymnast, twice winning Eastern reginal championships. Kelsey is currently working as a school psychologist in the Owego Central School District and Meghan is employed as a physical therapist, with a practice in Binghamton. Both are happily married with children. Tim credits his success as a coach to the support from the Greene High wrestling community, great assistant coaches, parents, alums and tough kids. The Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame salutes Tim Jenks and welcomes him into our Hall of Fame for his many accomplishments in the sport of wrestling.