One of the principal goals of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is to recognize excellence; Mike Conners epitomizes the type of excellence that embodies the essence of that goal. Coach Conners has characterized excellence since his high school days at Baldwinsville High School wrestling under the tutelage of Hall of Fame wrestling coach Leo Johnson. In his junior and senior years, Mike earned the Section III title and capped off his senior campaign by winning the NYSPSAA Championship. Moreover, the Baldwinsville wrestling team during Conners' career achieved an enviable record of 144-2. In a Palladium Times newspaper article Conners stated, "I had great teammates to work with; not all of them were state champions, but I would not have done as well individually unless I had the support of them. A lot of my success was based off the team." In addition, he complimented all of his coaches by saying, "It had a lot to do with my coaches, they kept me in a straight line and kept us all focused. It was one big happy family." Ensuing his high school career, Mike embarked on a very successful collegiate football and wrestling career at St. Lawrence University. At St. Lawrence Mike wrestled for another Hall of Fame coach, John Clark. His achievements were numerous and impressive. He was a four-time conference champion, a New York State Collegiate Champion and a 3-time Division III All-American, winning the NCAA heavyweight crown in 1984 for the Saints. In 1988 his brother, Pat, who also wrestled at St. Lawrence would win the heavyweight championship for Clark and that year's NCAA team champions - quite a family feat. Mike also had a great career as a defensive lineman in football; his 2002 St. Lawrence's Hall of Fame bio stated, "Conners was a key member of the defense on the 1982 Lambert Bowl winning team that made the NCAA semifinals and finished the year 10-1. He had 76 total tackles on that team, including a sack and was among the tackle leaders as a senior with 71 total stops." His excellence would continue on to his coaching career at Fulton High School, spanning 25 years. Following several assistant coaching jobs at St. Lawrence, Albany University and at Shenendehowa High School, Mike assumed the varsity coaching position at Fulton High School. There he would sustain a twenty-five-year career as one of the best coaches in New York State. His resume exudes excellence in the field of football and wrestling. Vince Lombardi stated, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." Mike undoubtedly exemplified this quote. His accomplishments are many: his career record was 510-44-1; he had 6 state championship teams; won 15 Section III titles; 24 Class A Section III titles; was named Section III Coach of the year three times, garnered the 2008 New York State Coach of the Year Award; was designated the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches' Association Coach of the Year and was recognized for countless other achievements. Conners attributes much of his success in Fulton to having a very motivated group of grapplers, an outstanding staff of assistant coaches and the strong support of the Fulton community. Additionally, his varsity football career was equally as impressive - winning three league titles, being named League Coach of the Year four times, as well as being the 2000 Section III Football Coach of the Year. Presently, Mike is working with Coach Mike Howard at Oswego State as the assistant wrestling coach. Coach Howard details this about Mike: "Mike has had a tremendous impact on the sport of wrestling at all levels. His credentials speak for themselves and demonstrate excellence. However, his greatest contributions are as a father, husband, community leader and friend. In June 2017 he and his son Tim, a cancer survivor, successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise awareness and funds for child cancer patients in Central New York." Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 18,885 feet. Tim, who is blind from his fight with cancer, and his father took nine days with 53 hours of climbing to reach the summit. Mike and his wife Betsy, who is Executive Director of Instruction and Assessment for the Fulton City Schools, are the proud parents of two sons, Mike and Tim. Son Mike and his wife Jerrica, have blessed the family with a grandson, Griffin. Tim has recently published a book entitled "It's Impossible Until You Do It: Succeeding in the Face of Adversity" and is continuing to raise funds for childhood cancer patients through the following groups: No Barriers USA, The Joe Andruzzi Foundation, The Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital and The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation, Inc. The Conners reside in Fulton. The Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall ofFame is privileged to recognize Mike Conners for his many achievements both on and off the mats with induction into the Hall of Fame and the Lifetime Service Award that accompanies this honor.