The Light Family
Comprised of 11 wrestlers, the Light Family's wrestling tradition begin with brothers Randy and Rudy, who wrestled for Lisbon High School from 1966 to 1969 and from 1968 to 1971, respectively.
Randy’s son, Vance, was a two-time Iowa state champion, a three-time finalist and a four-time place-winner with a career record of 132-6 for Lisbon from 1984 to 1987. After placing second at 98 pounds in 1984 and fourth at 105 pounds in 1985, Vance won back-to-back state titles at 112 pounds in 1986 and at 119 pounds in 1987. He wrestled at Drake University from 1987 to 1992, qualifying for the NCAA Division I Championships in 1992 at 126 pounds. Vance has been the head wrestling coach at Mount Vernon High School for the last 30 years.
Randy’s daughter, Stacy, broke new ground as the first female wrestler to join the varsity team at Lisbon High School. She further etched her name in history by competing in Iowa's very first varsity female wrestling match in 1993, facing off against Anita Bibbs from Davenport Central during a dual match between Lisbon and Davenport Central. That year, Stacy achieved two notable victories; her first win came against Mt Vernon, where her brother Vance served as head coach, and she recorded a triumphant pin at sectionals.
Rudy’s four sons, Shane, Zach, Ike, and Tyler, all wrestled for Lisbon High School.
Shane was a four-time Iowa state champion and had a career record of 139-9 from 1987 to 1990. He was a Junior World Team Trials runner-up in 1990 at 132 pounds. Shane wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and was a National Junior College Athletic Association national qualifier in 1992 at 125 pounds. He was an assistant coach for Ellsworth for two seasons and then was an assistant coach for six seasons at Lisbon, under his head coach Brad Smith.
Zach was a two-time Iowa state champion and a three-time place-winner with a career record of 152-8 for Lisbon from 1989 to 1992. He placed seventh at Junior Nationals in 1991 and second in 1992. Zach wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and was an NJCAA runner-up in 1992 at 142 pounds.
Ike won three Iowa state championships and had a third-place finish while compiling a 157-6 record for Lisbon from 1990 to 1993. He wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and coached for four years at a high school in California.
Tyler wrestled for two years at Lisbon.
Randy’s grandsons, Zebula and Justin, wrestled for Mount Vernon High School from 2006 to 2009 and from 2014 to 2017, respectively.
Zebula had a career record of 118-46 and finished seventh at the state tournament at 119 pounds in 2009.
Justin had a career record of 109-53 and qualified for the state tournament in 2016 and 2017.
Awards:
Year
2024
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Award
Bowlsby Family Legacy Award
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Chapter/Region
National
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Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations