Oklahoma chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame to honor five inductees on Nov. 11

Five outstanding contributors to wrestling in the state will be honored on Nov. 11, 2007 by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The five will be honored with a banquet and induction ceremony at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown in Tulsa, Okla. The reception will begin at 3 p.m., with dinner at 4 p.m. followed by the induction ceremony.

Tickets are $45 per person and are available from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.

Winning Lifetime Service Awards for their efforts on behalf of the sport of wrestling are: Wayne Constant, Broken Arrow and Skiatook wrestling coach; Mickey Martin, longtime high school and collegiate coach; Homer McClure, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, and Wickliffe wrestling coach; Kirk Taylor, state and regional tournament official; and Bobby Wilson, Ponca City High School coach.

The Lifetime Service Award is given annually to coaches, officials, and contributors who have given a minimum of 20 years of service to the sport of wrestling, to their communities, and most importantly, to the young people they have coached, taught, and inspired.

In alternating years, the State of Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honors individuals from Tulsa and the eastern side of the state and from Oklahoma City and the western portion of the state. This year’s honorees are all from the Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma area.

Wayne Constant has been coaching for 38 years. After five years as an assistant coach at Broken Arrow, he moved to Skiatook where he has coached at every level from elementary to high school. In 20 years as head coach at Skiatook High School, he had a record of 187-103-6, 16 individual state champions and 36 individual regional champions. His team finished as runner-up in 1984, 1985 and 1986 before finally capturing the state title in 1987. For his team’s performance, he was named 3A Coach-of-the-Year, and was presented with the first “Onions Martin Award” given by the Oklahoma Officials Association. He was Skiatook Teacher-of-the-Year in 1994. During his own wrestling years, Constant wrestled at Blackwell and attended Oklahoma State University on a wrestling scholarship. Unfortunately, he was injured during his sophomore year and could not wrestle anymore.

Mickey Martin and his father, Wayne, both graduates of Tulsa’s storied Central High School, are the only father and son to both become NCAA champions and win the Outstanding Wrestler award at an NCAA tournament. Martin was an NCAA and Big Eight Conference champion in 1962 and ’63, and was the NCAA Outstanding Wrestler in 1963 wrestling for the University of Oklahoma. Not only was Martin an accomplished wrestler, but he has also coached at the high school and collegiate levels for 30 years. Some of the many teams Martin has coached are South Dakota State University, Tulsa Hale High School, Choctaw High School, Del City High School, McAlester High School, Lawton Ike High School, and Oklahoma City Capitol Hill High School.

As a wrestler for Michigan State University, Homer McClure received the Walter Jacobs Award in 1964 for the highest total team points. In 1984 he was named the Region 5 National Wrestling-Coach-of-the-Year. Between those awards, McClure coached at Broken Arrow and Catoosa, leading his Catoosa teams to six regional championships, three state runner-up finishes and a state championship in 1982. McClure has also been an All State Coach, President of the Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association, and on the wrestling advisory committee to the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.

A four-time letterman and member of the first national championship team in 1979; Kirk Taylor started his wrestling career at Central State University. After graduation in 1980, he became a wrestling official. In 29 years as a referee, he has officiated the state tournament 18 times, regional tournament 22 times, dual-state seven times and the All-State match twice.

Bobby Wilson was a two-time All-American at OSU under the legendary Myron Roderick on the NCAA Championship teams in 1959 and 1961. In his last year at OSU, Wilson assisted Roderick in the wrestling room, and after graduating in 1962, began coaching at Garden City (Kan.) High School. In Garden City, he built a highly successful high school program and started programs in junior high and elementary schools. In 1968, Wilson became head coach at Ponca City High School where in 13 years he had a record of 140-20-2. He coached 13 individual state champions, five conference championships, and two regional championships. In 1975, Wilson was honored as the All-State Coach. Other awards received have been the Oklahoma Junior Olympic Freestyle team coach in 1975 and induction into the Ponca City Hall of Fame in 1983.

For more information on the honorees, or to purchase banquet tickets, please contact April Chipman at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum by phone (405) 377-5243 or email at achipman@wrestlinghalloffame.org. RSVPs are requested by

Five outstanding contributors to wrestling in the state will be honored on Nov. 11, 2007 by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The five will be honored with a banquet and induction ceremony at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown in Tulsa, Okla. The reception will begin at 3 p.m., with dinner at 4 p.m. followed by the induction ceremony.

Tickets are $45 per person and are available from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.

Winning Lifetime Service Awards for their efforts on behalf of the sport of wrestling are: Wayne Constant, Broken Arrow and Skiatook wrestling coach; Mickey Martin, longtime high school and collegiate coach; Homer McClure, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, and Wickliffe wrestling coach; Kirk Taylor, state and regional tournament official; and Bobby Wilson, Ponca City High School coach.

The Lifetime Service Award is given annually to coaches, officials, and contributors who have given a minimum of 20 years of service to the sport of wrestling, to their communities, and most importantly, to the young people they have coached, taught, and inspired.

In alternating years, the State of Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honors individuals from Tulsa and the eastern side of the state and from Oklahoma City and the western portion of the state. This year’s honorees are all from the Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma area.

Wayne Constant has been coaching for 38 years. After five years as an assistant coach at Broken Arrow, he moved to Skiatook where he has coached at every level from elementary to high school. In 20 years as head coach at Skiatook High School, he had a record of 187-103-6, 16 individual state champions and 36 individual regional champions. His team finished as runner-up in 1984, 1985 and 1986 before finally capturing the state title in 1987. For his team’s performance, he was named 3A Coach-of-the-Year, and was presented with the first “Onions Martin Award” given by the Oklahoma Officials Association. He was Skiatook Teacher-of-the-Year in 1994. During his own wrestling years, Constant wrestled at Blackwell and attended Oklahoma State University on a wrestling scholarship. Unfortunately, he was injured during his sophomore year and could not wrestle anymore.

Mickey Martin and his father, Wayne, both graduates of Tulsa’s storied Central High School, are the only father and son to both become NCAA champions and win the Outstanding Wrestler award at an NCAA tournament. Martin was an NCAA and Big Eight Conference champion in 1962 and ’63, and was the NCAA Outstanding Wrestler in 1963 wrestling for the University of Oklahoma. Not only was Martin an accomplished wrestler, but he has also coached at the high school and collegiate levels for 30 years. Some of the many teams Martin has coached are South Dakota State University, Tulsa Hale High School, Choctaw High School, Del City High School, McAlester High School, Lawton Ike High School, and Oklahoma City Capitol Hill High School.

As a wrestler for Michigan State University, Homer McClure received the Walter Jacobs Award in 1964 for the highest total team points. In 1984 he was named the Region 5 National Wrestling-Coach-of-the-Year. Between those awards, McClure coached at Broken Arrow and Catoosa, leading his Catoosa teams to six regional championships, three state runner-up finishes and a state championship in 1982. McClure has also been an All State Coach, President of the Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association, and on the wrestling advisory committee to the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association.

A four-time letterman and member of the first national championship team in 1979; Kirk Taylor started his wrestling career at Central State University. After graduation in 1980, he became a wrestling official. In 29 years as a referee, he has officiated the state tournament 18 times, regional tournament 22 times, dual-state seven times and the All-State match twice.

Bobby Wilson was a two-time All-American at OSU under the legendary Myron Roderick on the NCAA Championship teams in 1959 and 1961. In his last year at OSU, Wilson assisted Roderick in the wrestling room, and after graduating in 1962, began coaching at Garden City (Kan.) High School. In Garden City, he built a highly successful high school program and started programs in junior high and elementary schools. In 1968, Wilson became head coach at Ponca City High School where in 13 years he had a record of 140-20-2. He coached 13 individual state champions, five conference championships, and two regional championships. In 1975, Wilson was honored as the All-State Coach. Other awards received have been the Oklahoma Junior Olympic Freestyle team coach in 1975 and induction into the Ponca City Hall of Fame in 1983.

For more information on the honorees, or to purchase banquet tickets, please contact April Chipman at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum by phone (405) 377-5243 or email at achipman@wrestlinghalloffame.org. RSVPs are requested by