Lake-Lehman High School (Pennsylvania), Parkview High School (Georgia), Chattahoochee Valley Community College (AL), Multi County Wrestling Officials (Georgia), University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Middleburg High School (Florida), North Florida Wrestling Officials, Atlanta Takedown Association, and Metro Atlanta Wrestling Officials Association

Walter (Bud) Hennebaul began wrestling at the Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) YMCA in 1966 and continued to wrestle at Lake-Lehman Junior and Senior High School in Lehman, Pennsylvania.

Bud’s family relocated to Georgia in 1977 and he completed his last two years of high school with a Georgia High School Association state championship and a runner-up finish. He continued his wrestling career at Chattahoochee Valley Community College.

He coached at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from 1982 to 1986. After marrying Beverly Seebeck Hennebaul, he moved to Florida and coached at Middleburg High School.

Bud began working as a wrestling official in 1980 and continues to actively officiate. He also served as president of the Metro Atlanta Wrestling Officials Association, an organization he helped found. Bud has officiated numerous state championships in Florida and Georgia and worked at the NCAA level for four years before deciding to focus on the development of officials at the high school level.


Bud orchestrated the GHSA’s “All-Classification State Wrestling Championships.” When it began, it was the largest high school state tournament in the nation, featuring 2,016 wrestlers and 3,822 matches. The tournament continues to be recognized as one of the best high school state championships in the country.

A member of the AAU National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019, Bud serves on the boards of numerous wrestling organizations and continues to be an ambassador for our great sport.