Class of 2020

Bob Culbertson
Vandalia

Bob was born into a wrestling family. He had several uncles that wrestled at Vandalia High School, and had 4 brothers who also wrestled at Vandalia High School. One uncle was on one of the first Vandalia teams and was a state qualifier. At the time Bob wrestled, the Jr. High included 9th grade, so his wrestling career only lasted 3 years in high school. He was part of the team that was MidState Conference Champions, District Champions and 2nd place at Sectional in 1974.That same year, he earned a 4th place medal at the State Tournament. He also was the co-recipient with his brother Bill, of the Decatur Herald area wrestler of the year award. Bob officiated one year in 1975 but work and school delayed his future involvement in the sport of wrestling. Bob also played football and ran track for Vandalia and lettered all 3 years of high school. He was chosen as Most Valuable Player in football and track his senior year.

Wrestling took a back seat in his life when he married his wife, Susan, in February, 1977. (Don’t ever get married in February… especially the week of the state tournament, or you will spend each anniversary sitting in a gym!) 🙂

The YMCA in Vandalia sent a letter to the membership at large asking for any suggestions for new sports programs to be started in the community. Bob sent in a suggestion sheet expressing how he would like to see a kids wrestling program started in Vandalia. The next week he got a call from the YMCA director asking if Bob would help organize this new program.

Bob and some other Vandalia Dads started the Vandalia Jr. Wrestling Club in 1987. Bob was head coach for 18 years. He has been a member of the IKWF for 31years. He was assistant South Sectional director under Jon Davis for eight years. Bob helped to streamline and ran the IKWF South Sectional Tournament from 1993 through 2011. He has officiated a total of 21 IKWF Individual and Dual Team State Tournaments. He also served as the South Sectional Officials Chairman for 10 years. He was also an assistant coach for the Vandalia High School for 3 years. He was inducted into the Vandalia Hall of Fame in 2007.

As a coach with the Vandalia Wrestling Club, he taught and coached basic principles of wrestling that provided a feeder program to the Vandalia High School Wrestling Program, under the leadership of Coaches Glen Exton and later, Jason Clay. Together they have developed the high school program into a wrestling dynasty.

The first group of Vandalia Jr Wrestling kids that fed into the high school program provided Vandalia with its first ever State Championship in 1996 . Vandalia has also placed 4th in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2016; placed 3rd in 2002, and placed 2nd in 2007 and 2018. Vandalia, as a team, has had a total of 20 appearances in Dual Team competition, and 3 individual State Champions that also got their start in the Vandalia Jr Wrestling program while Bob was the head coach.

Bob had 2 sons that wrestled for Vandalia. Jacob wrestled on the 19941997 teams and Bryan wrestled on the 1997-2000 teams. Both collected team state medals. Bob’s daughter ,Julie, was a stat girl on the 2000-2004 teams. She also earned a state medal in 2002. Bob and his family continue to work and support the Vandalia wrestling program.

As an official for 20 years, Bob has officiated 17 Regionals 15 Sectionals and 11 State tournaments He became an IHSA Clinician in 2014. In 2017, he organized and promoted a beginning Official’s Class in Vandalia, to train and encourage former wrestlers to learn how to officiate.