It was just a little over 40 years ago, about the time he was entering Dekalb High School, that Mark King made a decision that impacted the rest of his life - he chose to be a part of the Barb wrestling program. During Mark's years at Dekalb, the Barbs were led by the legendary Don Flavin - himself an Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame member and a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award recipient.

In 1968, Mark's senior season, he was an integral part of the Dekalb squad as they won their first and only state championship by edging the Leyden Eagles by one point.

Graduating in 1968, Mark went on to wrestle for the Michigan Wolverines, coached by the immortal Cliff Keen and IWCOA Hall of Famer Rick Bay. Mark lettered three years and served as team captain his senior year while being chosen to receive the Cliff Keen Award as a senior.

Following his graduation from Michigan in 1972, Mark returned to his native Illinois and took the position of sophomore wrestling coach at Lyons Township High School. Part of his responsibilities during his first few years included running the LaGrange Park recreational program.

He assumed the head coach position in 1974, a position he would hold until he stepped down following the 2005 season. However, Mark chose to remain with the Lyons program, serving as one of its varsity assistant coaches.

Mark's illustrious career at Lyons, "LT" to most of us, spanned 33 years with 31 as head coach.

During his tenure as head coach his squads won 471 dual meets, 18 conference championships, 13 IHSA Regional titles and three IHSA Sectional crowns. In 1992, the Lions captured the third-place trophy in the Illinois High School Association Dual Team State Tournament. The LT program under Mark's guidance sent 90 individuals to the IHSA state finals and 35 of those individuals achieved All-State status.

Four of Mark's wrestlers combined to produce six individual state championships. But individuals of Mark's caliber seldom limit their skills to a narrow scope.

Mark's dedication and service to the sport goes beyond his success as a coach as exampled by his involvement in the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. For a period of four years Mark served as the Treasurer of the IWCOA and in 1980 he was the president.

Additionally, Mark spent at least 20 summers serving as a coach for the Illinois Wrestling Federation and USA Team Illinois. From 1996 through 2000 Mark served as the head freestyle coach for Team Illinois.

For more than 25 years Mark served as the director and coach of the Lions Kids Wrestling Club. The number of developmental freestyle and Greco-Roman summer tournaments that Mark worked is countless.

For his success as a coach and his years of service to the sport, the Illinois coaching community recognized Mark as the IWCOA Coach of the Year in 1992. Two years later, the IWCOA inducted Mark into its Hall of Fame.

Mark was selected as a Grand Marshal for the 2002 IHSA individual state finals. and the IWCOA honored him with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.