Class of 2024
Tod McCullough, Erie
Coach
Tod McCullough started off his wrestling journey around the age of five going to wrestling tournaments with his grandfather and uncle who was only four years older than him. His grandfather figured since he was there to watch his uncle he might as well partake in the sport. Tod participated in all sports growing up but found the joy in football, wrestling and baseball.
He was a three-time letter winner at Waukee High School in Iowa in wrestling and baseball and a two-time letter winner in football. In his senior year, he was one of the wrestling captains for coaches Doyle Thomas and Bill Jennings and he qualified for state, but suffered an ankle injury in his first match which required him to bow out. He received numerous scholarship offers to wrestle in college and chose Northwest Missouri State University where he wrestled his freshman year for coaches Bob Reese, Randy Steward and Tim Serbousek and earned a varsity letter. After receiving his degree in Industrial Technology with a minor in Physical Education, he took his first job teaching and coaching at Tampico High School. He started his wrestling coaching career as an assistant coach for Keith Pueblo at Prophetstown High School for the 1993-94 season. He changed teaching assignments the summer of 1994 and started teaching and coaching in the Erie School District the fall of 1994. He was an assistant wrestling coach for two years under Joe Froeliger before becoming Erie's head wrestling coach in 1996. In 1997-98 year, the introduction of the Erie/Prophetstown co-op began. He was head coach of Erie/Prophetstown from its introduction in 1997 to his retirement in the spring of 2023. He also coached football and baseball during this time, as well as a stint as the athletic director for five years. He notched 417 career dual meet wins at Erie/Prophetstown, coached 29 IHSA Boys and three IHSA Girls State qualifiers, one IWCOA State qualifier, 16 State medalists with two State runners-up. Three of His Panther Teams won regionals and two made trips to Dual Team State. He was the Class 1A & 2A Division Athletic Director of the Year in 2009 and the IWCOA Class 1A Coach of the Year in 2018 and TRAC Coach of the Year six times.He is now coaching E/P Junior High wrestling team for the 2023-24 season with 54 boys and girls on the team. Some of his greatest memories were getting his first wrestler to state, being in the Grand March, qualifying his first team to state and having both his daughter and son on that state team. Along with all the major success of his former athletes. He would like to thank both the Erie and Prophetstown School Districts, communities, assistant coaches and wrestlers, especially his family Laura, Megan and Brandon, for all the support and sacrifices over the years.