Fred Scyocurka is considered the most important figure in the development of wrestling in Western Massachusetts. Fred established a wrestling program at Springfield Technical High School (now known as Springfield Central HS) that was the nucleus of "Western Mass Wrestling" for many years, the foundation upon which other programs were built. A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Fred graduated from American International College (AIC) with a Masters degree in Education. He spent the next forty years influencing young people as a father, teacher, coach, and community leader. Fred's legacy is evident in scores of former students and athletes who learned valuable life lessons from their mentor.

After college, Fred started a "pioneer" wrestling program at the Springfield Boys Club, one of the first of its kind in Western Massachusetts. Eventually, this led to the formation of a wrestling team at Springfield Technical High School, where Fred built a powerhouse. For more than two decades, Fred's Springfield Tech teams were at the forefront of Massachusetts schoolboy wrestling, competing with the likes of Wayland, Lowell, Chelmsford, and North Andover for mat supremacy. Fred made sure that his wrestlers were always prepared for their battles with the traditional powers from Eastern Massachusetts; his teams were well conditioned and technically sound. More importantly, Springfield Tech wrestlers were known as much for their sportsmanship as their competitiveness, attributes undoubtedly learned from their coach. Fred's Springfield Tech teams were perennial Western Mass champs, twice garnering Massachusetts and New England championships. Fred coached numerous individual champions, including three sons (Mark, Todd, and Christopher) who earned Massachusetts state championships. For these accomplishments, Fred was named Western Mass Coach-of-the-Year several times.

In addition to coaching, Fred was also a longtime wrestling official on the high school and collegiate levels. In recognition of his contributions to the sport of wrestling, Fred was inducted into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Association (MIWA) Hall of Fame in 1988. As a tribute to his dedication to the youth of Springfield, Fred was inducted into the Springfield Public School Hall of Fame in 2008.

Fred resides in Palmer with his wife Jacqueline. They are proud parents of six children: Mark, Michael, Michelle, Todd, Christopher, and Gregory.