Bill Hildbold began wrestling in the eighth grade at Frost Intermediate School in Fairfax, Virginia and won the school championship. In three years of varsity wrestling at Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, he was a district place-winner and wrestled in the regional tournament. 

Hildbold wrestled briefly at the University of Notre Dame, but left to pursue academic interests and become a member of the crew team. As a senior in college, while injured and unable to participate further in athletics, he volunteered his time to help coach wrestling at Penn High School, a local school near the university. 

Following graduation, he became a football, wrestling and track coach at McLean High School in Fairfax. He spent five years as an assistant coach and two years as the head wrestling coach while also directing the McLean Holiday tournament and assisting the director of the Great Falls district tournament. 

After a two-year hiatus from wrestling, Hildbold teamed up with Fritz Maier to coach the very successful Chantilly Youth Association wrestling program where the beltway team won the Capitol Area Wrestling League championship in the 1980s. This program produced several region and state champions at many levels. 

When Hildbold transferred to Robinson Secondary School, he assisted Hall of Famer John Epperly for one year and then took over the program for the next five years, winning two district and two dual team championships. 

Stepping down as coach, Hildbold directed the regional tournament for the next six years and directed the Concorde District tournament for three years while serving as the lead DSA for wrestling until his retirement in 2005. Hildbold has assisted in some aspect of every subsequent regional and state tournament.