Rick Wayenberg was a student teacher and wrestling coach for Clarkston High School and earned his teaching certificate in 1978 from Washington State University. Later, he was an English teacher and wrestling coach for Columbia High School in Richland, Washington.

Rick taught and coached wrestling at Sutherlin (Oregon) High School and later spent two years (1981-83) with the U.S. Sports Academy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Manama, Bahrain, as the public relations director promoting sports programs.

In 1984, he earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in administration and public relations from WSU. As part of the degree requirement, Rick provided public relations support for the WSU Department of Physical Education. He also served as a WSU assistant wrestling coach.

A popular coach and wrestling official, Rick coached club and Pullman High School wrestling.

In 1984, he moved to Emmett, Idaho, where he taught junior high school language arts and coached junior high and high school wrestling.

Rick coached freestyle Greco Roman club teams for 23 years and served as an official at regional, national and Olympic Trials events for 30 years.

Rick was a sports editor for the Bozeman (Montana) Daily Chronicle, then a reporter for the Ketchikan (Alaska) Daily News before returning to Pullman, Washington, as a sports editor for the Pullman Herald from 1974-76 and again 1980-81.