In his first job at Iroquois Central High School, Norm Foster wasted no time in demonstrating his winning ways as a wrestling coach.

His Chiefs captured 10 straight Section VI titles and chalked up 143 consecutive victories, a national record.

He went on to play a prominent role in the growth of wrestling as a high school sport in the area. When the Western New York Wrestling Coaches Association was organized in the early 1970s, he was chosen to be its first president.

Foster was a 1949 graduate of Portville High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1953 at what was then Cortland State Teachers College. He was president of Cortland’s House of Delegates during his senior year and an officer in his fraternity, Beta Phi Epsilon.

A star athlete in four sports – football, lacrosse, wrestling and track – he was football team captain and set team records. He received the Outstanding Senior Physical Education Student award and, as a junior, was named to “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.”

Returning from service in the Marine Corps, stationed in the Pacific, he began his 36-year career as teacher and coach at Iroquois, then moved on to Amherst Central High School in 1965. There he coached the football, wrestling and track teams until he retired in 1991.

He was inducted into the Portville, Iroquois and Amherst high school athletic halls of fame, as well as the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame.

He became a member of the SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame in 2001, a year after he was named SUNY Cortland Western New York Chapter 2000 Alum of the Year.