Ken Mallory's development into an elite wrestler is both compelling and legendary. He is the only Massachusetts native to win four NCAA wrestling championships (three Division III and one Division I).

In the mid-1970's, high school junior Kenny Mallory took the MBTA into Boston, got off at the Essex Street Station, walked through Chinatown, and climbed the stairs to the wrestling room at the Young Man Christian's Union. Although Kenny had never wrestled before, he sought and received the guidance of Jim Peckham (1999 Hall of Fame inductee). Under Peckham's tutelage, Kenny, who was quick and athletic, absorbed Olympic wrestling technique as well as his new coach's mandate to work harder and "earn the right to win." Although a volatile climate existed in Boston at the time due to a court order desegregating the Boston Public School system, Kenny, an African-American individual, regularly trained and made progress at the Union in downtown Boston.

Kenny's first folkstyle experience was at the 1974 Lowell Holiday Tournament, which was a learning experience for him, since his training had been primarily in Freestyle and Greco-Roman. His progress was rapid, though, and later that season he achieved the improbable distinction of winning the 1975 Massachusetts state wrestling title at 134 pounds as a rookie. Shortly thereafter, Kenny would go on to place second at the New England Championships.

After high school, Ken's continued his career at Montclair State, where he joined fellow Massachusetts wrestlers Rick Freitas and George Kacavas to compete for the New Jersey powerhouse. As a freshman, Ken did not crack the starting line-up, but it provided him a great opportunity to work out each day with quality competition and gain further experience in folkstyle. In 1977, Ken captured his first NCAA Division III title at 134 pounds by defeating Pete Rossi of Cortland State by a score of 12-9 in the finals. It was Ken's 1978 season, however, which was his most memorable. One week after winning his second Division III title and being named Outstanding Wrestler, Mallory traveled to the University of Maryland to compete in the 48th NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament. After winning convincingly in his first three matches, Ken knocked off the fourth seeded wrestler in overtime to advance to the 134 pound finals. In the championship bout, Ken defeated Frank DeAngelis of Oklahoma by a score of 10-7 to win the Division I title and finish his season with an unblemished 38-0 record.

Massachusetts wrestling sage, Mike Stuer, noted, "I was a spectator at the 1978 NCAA D1 National Championships, where I witnessed Ken earn his D1 national title. It was a remarkable performance. I watched Kenny defeat one D1 wrestler after another, using his patented 'spinning single,' where he spun around 360 degrees before shooting a single leg takedown. In fact, Kenny scored the first takedown in his national championship match using that funky spin move."

Ken is one of only two Division III wrestlers ever to win both a Division III and Division I title in the same season. It is likely that this accomplishment will stand the test of time because, in the early 1990's, the NCAA stopped inviting Division II and Division III wrestlers to the Division I Tournament.

Ken's final season at Montclair was a challenging one due to nagging injuries which slowed him down and prevented him from reaching his peak. Nonetheless, he advanced to the Division III Tournament finals and again captured the title at 134 pounds. In that finals bout, he was tied with Mike Jacoutot from Trenton State with 20 seconds left in the match before earning a takedown and near fall to propel him to a 10-5 decision. Ken would finish his college career with an overall record of 137-7-2.

Ken also accrued success in wrestling after college. He trained in New York City and became the first African-American to represent the New York Athletic Club. In 1980, Ken placed fifth in the USA National Freestyle Championships at 136.5 pounds, while placing sixth in that same tournament two years later. Mallory represented the United States in ten international events, winning a gold medal at the 1981 New Zealand Games.

Despite his late entry into the sport of wrestling, Ken Mallory's work ethic and four NCAA titles have been inspirational to a multitude of Massachusetts athletes.