Jack Spates enjoyed a prolific career as a high school competitor in New York and went on to earn All-America honors twice at Slippery Rock University, compiling a 118-8 career record.

He began his coaching career as head coach at Baptist Bible College in 1975 and led that school to six conference championships before going on to serve as assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Military Academy.

Spates returned to the head coaching ranks at Cornell and in five years there racked up a 74-14-1 dual record with five straight Ivy League titles.

Spates came to Oklahoma in 1993 to take over as head coach at the University of Oklahoma and guided the Sooners back to national prominence. He accumulated a 243-97-12 dual record, won two Big 12 crowns and coached 56 All-Americans -- including six national champions -- during a stellar 18-year stint at OU that ended in 2011.

For his brilliant legacy of success, Jack Spates is honored with the 2017 Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.