Class of 2006

Urban Baum
Belleville East
A native of Belleville, Illinois, Urban Baum attended Belleville Township High School and graduated in 1956. He was a member of the football team for three years and the wrestling team for one year while in high school. His senior year he had a record of 11-2 and placed 3rd in the sectional. He was a recipient of the Fritz Freidli Award given by the coaching staff for excellent performance in football and wrestling.

After graduation, Urban attended Belleville Area College and played football. He then went on to Western Illinois University and was a member of both the football and wrestling teams. Urban was named co-captain in 1959-60 and 1960-61. Upon graduation from Western in 1961, Urban began teaching at Belleville Township High School (which is now Belleville West). His first teaching assignment was as a biology teacher and assistant wrestling and assistant football coach. In1966 Belleville Township High School split and Urban moved to the new Belleville East campus. From 1966 until 1988, he served as Head Wrestling Coach at Belleville East. He then was an assistant until his retirement in 1993. He had a career coaching record of 280-112-7, with the 1973-74 team forging an undefeated season and his 1986 team placing fourth in the Dual Team State Meet. He coached nine regional championship teams, four conference championship teams, and his teams won three sectional titles. He had forty-four state qualifiers and seven state place-winners.

As a member of the 1959-60 undefeated Western Illinois University Football team, Urban was inducted into the Western Illinois University Hall of Fame.