John “Leonard” or “Shorty” Shelton attended Fairview and 4D country schools through eighth grade and entered the Perry School system in ninth grade graduating in 1955.

Coach John Divine recruited Leonard for the Perry wrestling program shortly after he entered Perry schools and he began his wrestling career. Leonard became a state champion his senior year and received a full wrestling scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. Port Robertson, OU's Hall of Fame coach, was partial to Perry wrestlers and came to Perry each year to select the wrestlers he wanted to offer scholarships, so there were several Perry wrestlers on the OU team at the time Leonard was recruited.

Port was a wonderful, though tough, coach and became a mentor and father figure to Leonard throughout his college career in which he became an All-American, finishing fourth at the 1957 NCAA Division I National Championships.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in industrial education and returned to Perry to take over the family farm due to the loss of his beloved father who was his best friend throughout his life and his biggest fan throughout his wrestling career attending every match and tournament.

A few years later, Leonard was recruited to help with the Perry wrestling program as an assistant coach to Rex Edgar and as junior high coach.

He became the head high school wrestling coach and compiled the greatest record in Oklahoma high school wrestling as a coach during the 10-year period of 1969-79. His teams won 10 regional and nine consecutive state titles from 1971-79. He returned from retirement for the 1994-95 school year and won another state championship. This record establishes Perry nationally as the school with the most high school wrestling championships.

Individual honors were as great as team titles with his wrestlers claiming 40 individual championship medals. His 1973 team won seven of the 12 available weight classes and won with a record-breaking score of over 100 points ahead of the second place team.

Leonard received many personal honors including Oklahoma Coach of the Year eight times and Coach of the Year on the national level in District 5 in 1972 and 1979. He was runner-up for National Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1979 and is a member of the Perry Alumni Hall of Fame. In accepting awards or giving interviews, Leonard was humble and unassuming and always gave the credit for his success to his hard-working wrestlers as well as to his assistant coach, Fred Waltermire, and the junior high coach, Terry Leonard.

Many of Coach Shelton’s wrestlers were recruited by colleges and universities, also gaining wrestling honors and going on to become coaches as well.

Coach Shelton remained close to his former wrestlers and welcomed them back to his wrestling room to visit or volunteer after they graduated. They were his lifelong friends, and his wrestling stories were unending.

A favorite story was that other teams were so tired of Perry winning the state tournaments that our wrestlers were booed each time they stepped on the mat. Standing by Leonard, one of the other coaches said, “I sure wish they were booing me like that.”