Sam Boone pursued his love for competition and the sport of wrestling from pioneering the 1953 Freeport High School wrestling team, where he won the Eastern District Olympic Trials in freestyle as a senior; to the elite Kodokan Institute, where he earned several black belts in some of the more lethal martial arts while stationed in Japan with the United States military; and winning the 1964 Greco-Roman national championship.

In those days, everyone who saw Boone on the mat quickly knew they were watching premium athletic talent in the hands of a tough, smart, and determined competitor.

When Sam backed up his 1964 Greco-Roman national title with a win at the Greco-Roman Olympic Team Trials to secure a spot on the United States Olympic team, he turned a childhood dream into reality. The consensus among the Long Island wrestling community was that Sam was a lock for the gold. He was on a roll, with each match a more impressive performance than the one before. All he had to do was get on the plane and bring back the medal. But it was not to be. Sam sustained an injury at the Olympic training camp and because it was too close to the event for rehabilitation he was forced to withdraw.

With Sam’s competitive career ended he returned to Long Island to raise a wonderful family with his wife Bernice. What lay behind was a record of hundreds of dual match victories, a national championship, and some spectacular athletic performances, including defeating the heavyweight defending grand champion in the finals of the Inter-Service Judo Championships while serving in the military.

What lay ahead were coaching assignments at Freeport High School, the Long Island Grapplers and Calhoun High School. With a record of coaching achievement, Sam went on to head coaching posts with the Nassau Police Olympic team and Roosevelt High School. In all of these positions, Sam brought his special contribution to wrestling. That contribution was a fusion of traditional wrestling with techniques from the martial arts. A slight change of position, a little difference in grip, an eye trained in the East to detect the telltales of balance and momentum. Suddenly, Sam Boone’s wrestlers were a force to be reckoned with.

As impressive as this record is, Sam’s greatest achievement lies in his countless hours of volunteer work that continued over the decades. Energy, time and creativity, at parks, school basement wrestling rooms, recreation centers, and church facilities throughout Long Island. Through associations with Rockville Centre Recreation, Centennial Park, the Nassau County Department of Recreation, the Police Athletic League, the Freeport Black Association, and organizations too numerous to mention, Boone gave back to his community with wrestling tournaments, clinics, and programs.

Especially at those times and places where young people were most at risk, Sam always stepped forward. And just as anyone who saw him on the mat recognized his athletic talents; anyone who saw Boone reaching out to young people, instantly recognized the indefinable talent of a great teacher.

That special gift for getting and holding attention and imparting value and meaning along with information. The great values of the sport of wrestling: courage, hard work, the love of competition, the desire to excel, and refusal to quit were what Boone coached and imparted.

Thousands of young men and women not only profited from his teaching ability, but also benefitted from his integrity, friendship, and dedication.

The Friends of Long Island Wrestling are proud to recommend Sam Boone for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Service to Wrestling award.