In the world of collegiate wrestling, Robert “Bob” Bubb is one of a kind. In a career spanning 44 years, he has been a competitor, coach and contributor of the highest caliber and character. Known by all as a man of integrity, his charismatic leadership continues to shape the sport today.

After a successful high school prep career in his hometown of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, he became a student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh. Under the tutelage of Rex Peery, he garnered All-American status at the NCAA Division I tournament and was named “Most Valuable Wrestler” at the University of Pittsburgh.

Equipped with his degree and wrestling expertise, Bubb began his career as a high school teacher and coach. In the early days of his career, his trade mark style emerged. He demonstrated and demanded excellence of himself and his athletes. During his seven-year tenure, he coached five district champions, one regional champion and one state champion.

The next era of his career combined his love of wrestling and academia. As the head wrestling coach and an award winning faculty member at Clarion University, he defied the odds against a small school building a program of national prominence. In his 26 years at the helm, his teams amassed a record of 322-121-4, a 72.5 winning percentage. He coached five wrestlers to seven individual NCAA Division I titles (including two titles each for Hall of Fame members Wade Schalles and Kurt Angle), 8 team finishes in the top 15 at the NCAA Division I tournaments, and, in 1986, was named the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year. When he retired in 1992, he had coached 27 NCAA Division I All-Americans, 29 Eastern Wrestling League champions and had joined the elite group of only four coaches in wrestling history to surpass the 300 win mark.

In addition to coaching and teaching, Bubb has served as a leader in the governance of wrestling. From 1995-99, he served as Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Currently, he is in his fifteenth year as the Secretary Rules Editor to the NCAA Wrestling Committee. He has been honored as a member of 5 different Pennsylvania sport halls of fame including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Pennsylvania chapter, and has been named Coach of the Year three times by the Eastern Wrestling League and twice by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

In recognition of his unprecedented impact on the sport of wrestling, Robert “Bob” Bubb is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.