Ken Hunte, who passed away in 1986, is a true legend in Long Island wrestling.

He started his wrestling career at Mepham High School in 1942 under Hall of Fame coach “Sprig” Gardner as a 103-pound competitor, and ended it as Coach Gardener’s successor in 1976.

Between those dates, Ken established himself as one of the best wrestlers ever developed on Long Island and as one of the most successful coaches in Long Island history.

As a high school wrestler, he was an important contributor to Mepham’s initial 100-meet winning streak while winning two Long Island individual championships.

As a collegiate wrestler, he was an outstanding competitor at Syracuse University, where he was a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion and also an Outstanding Wrestler recipient. He was a two-time finalist at the NCAA Division I Championships while also being a co-captain as Syracuse won its first two EIWA team titles.

After graduating, Ken won numerous open and AAU championships, including the Canadian Open.

After succeeding “Sprig” Gardener as coach in 1959, Ken contributed to the reparable success of Mepham wrestling. His 187-34-2 career coaching record is one of the finest ever on Long Island. His teams won 10 league titles and eight Nassau County championships. In 1964 his team was the best in New York State, going undefeated and winning three individual titles and a runner-up finish at the state tournament. In all, Ken coached 64 league, 26 county and eight New York State campions.

In 1975 he was voted Nassau County Coach of the Year and in 1985 was inducted into the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Both of Ken’s sons, Bob and Steve, were successful wrestlers. Steve was three-time Nassau County champion and two-time New York State champion.

Ken’s wife Jane is still an active fan of wrestling and attends many Mepham matches.