1986 Cassadaga Valley Central School graduate Marty Nichols was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s New York Chapter on Saturday. File photo

Marty Nichols added to his bulging wrestling resume last weekend, and his most recent entry may be the most significant yet.

The 1986 Cassadaga Valley Central School and 1990 Ithaca College graduate was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at the New York Chapter’s 27th annual ceremony Saturday in Syracuse.

A three-time All-American during his collegiate career at Ithaca, Nichols recently completed his 29th season as head coach of the Bombers, improving his career record to 329-111-1. Along the way he has coached seven individual NCAA champions along with 46 student-athletes who have earned All-American honors.

“It’s all about building and sticking with a routine and a winning pattern during the year,” Nichols said in the induction program about Ithaca’s ability to contend for a national championship each year. “Small stuff, like what you’re eating, what you do when you warm up, and all of the little nuances that go on. … You have to have enough repetition to do it under stress.”

Nichols’ blueprint to success certainly has paid dividends.

Following assistant stops at Cornell University and Ithaca High School, Nichols returned to Ithaca College as an assistant coach in 1994, eventually being promoted to head coach in 1997. In his first year, he was named the NWCA Rookie Coach of the Year after leading the Bombers to a 7-5 record and a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

Since then, the Chautauqua Sports, Ithaca College Athletic (1997) and National Wrestling Coaches Association (2018) halls of fame inductee has been the recipient of multiple additional honors, including: NCAA Coach of the Year (2011); seven-time ECWC Coach of the Year; Mideast Region Coach of the Year (2018, 2020, 2023); NCAA Championships Coach of the Year (2018); and SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year for the 2023-24 academic year.

As a student-athlete, Nichols qualified for the NCAA Championships in all four years of his collegiate career, winning the first of four 150-pound regional titles in 1987. He placed sixth nationally as a sophomore and followed that with a standout junior season, recording 32 wins, a 13-2 dual-match record, and a fifth-place finish at nationals, helping Ithaca to its first-ever NCAA team title. As a senior, Nichols finished as national runner-up and helped Ithaca to its second national title. For his career with the Bombers, he posted a 115-38 record, which ranks tied for 10th in program history for career wins.

During his formative years, Nichols wrestled and played football at Cassadaga Valley, highlighted by a Section VI 138-pound championship and a fifth-place finish at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament.

Nichols’ induction last Saturday marked the second consecutive year a CVCS alumnus was so honored. Jim Beichner, a 1982 graduate, was a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame New York Chapter Class of 2024, joining former Southwestern High School head coach Walt Thurnau, who was inducted in 2011. Like Beichner and Nichols, Thurnau is also an inductee of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame.