Ken Cellan has spent his entire life in the sport of wrestling, first as an athlete and then as a wrestling official.

As a Lindenhurst high school student, Ken was an outstanding athlete who participated in football, track, and wrestling.

Upon graduation he accepted a “grant in aid” for football from prestigious football powerhouse, the University of Miami.

Following his scholastic career, Ken entered the business world and simultaneously became a wrestling official.

After becoming a member of the prestigious Long Island Officials Association, he quickly moved to the top and became the organization's president in 1961.

As wrestling grew in the 1960s, it became necessary to split the Long Island Association into two organizations, one to service the county of Nassau and a second for Suffolk County.

At the time, Suffolk County was in a high school building frenzy to accommodate the ballooning population, Ken rose to the challenge and was instrumental in creating the Suffolk County Wrestling Officials Association.

It is as an official and a proponent of the sport of wrestling that has earned Ken Cellan the respect and admiration of coaches, wrestlers, and fans alike.

Reflecting on some of his exciting encounters in wrestling, Ken recalls a heavyweight sectional championship bout he was officiating when he was kicked unconscious. The second official pushed him off the mat and continued the bout, awarding the two back points. The coach whose team received the award was incensed that it was only a two-point near-fall and not three.

During an intersectional meet between two fiercely competitive teams, Ken was hit in the nose. While he was recovering, one coach asked how he was doing, then handed him a towel so he could clean up the mat. “I guess wrestling certainly is competitive and coaches compassion for injured officials are short lived.”

As he approached his 50th year as an official, Ken can look back on many highlights.

Among them, he cherishes officiating matches that included his nephews Barry Croce, Bruce Croce, Randy Cellan and Russell Cellan.

In addition, Ken has had the experience of officiating the finals of every Suffolk County championship since 1959. He expanded his prestigious officiating career by officiating the New York State Championships on five separate occasions.

Because of his efforts and accomplishments in the sport of wrestling, and as an outstanding official, he was inducted into the New York State Officials Association’s Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000.

As someone who has spent his life working to making our sport as good as it can be, Ken Cellan is presented with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Downstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.