2000 Wrestling Grand Marshals Named

Four Grand Marshals, each with special contributions to the sport for more than a combined 100 years, will lead the annual Grand March of Finalists Saturday night (Feb. 19) before the championship bouts of the 63rd Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Final Individual Wrestling Tournament.

Named Grand Marshals for 2000 are:

Dan Cliffe, two-time state champion and then coach at DeKalb High School, now athletic director and assistant principal at Burlington (Central).

Joe Cliffe, two-time place winner at DeKalb High School and successful coach at Georgetown, Plano and Fairbury (Prairie Central).

John Ellis, former wrestler at Geneva High School and long-time wrestling coach at Palatine (H.S.).

Bob Pickens, state heavyweight champion at Evanston (Twp.), a member of the 1964 U. S. Olympic wrestling team and former Chicago Bear, now an official in football and wrestling.

Begun in 1975, the annual March of Finalists is conducted at the State Tournament by the IHSA in conjunction with the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) and the Assembly Hall. Each year the grand marshals are honored for their contributions to the sport and to the young men who participate in it.

The marshals play an important role in the color and pageantry of the event as they lead the 56 individual finalists and their coaches in a foot-stomping, strobe flash popping, breathtaking Grand March around the Assembly Hall arena floor just prior to the championship bouts. With spotlights shining on Old Glory, students from Jacksonville (Illinois School for the Deaf) lead the audience in the playing, singing and signing of the National Anthem. The annual crowd in excess of 10,000 witness a spectacle of high school athletics seen nowhere else in America.

Here is a closer look at the 2000 Grand Marshals:

Dan Cliffe, younger brother of 2000 inductee Joe Cliffe, won the 98-pound titles in 1971 and 1972 for DeKalb High School. From 1983 to 1996, he coached DeKalb’s strong teams to a dual meet record of 234-48-2, including seven appearances in the dual meet state finals. He coached 3 individual state champions at DeKalb and a total of 12 place winners. A former two-time president of IWCOA, he was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1993. During his wrestling career he was both a junior and open USA Greco-Roman and Freestyle champion.

Joe Cliffe, older brother of 2000 inductee Dan Cliffe, placed fourth at 95 pounds in both 1968 and 1969 for DeKalb High School. During his coaching career, Cliffe’s teams recorded more than 300 dual meet wins, and he coached 10 individual state champions. Selected IWCOA Man of the Year in 1991, Joe was nominated for Coach of the Year six times. He was inducted in the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1993. During his wrestling career, he was a two-time USA Greco-Roman champion and a five-time place winner in the USA National Freestyle tournaments.

John Ellis spent 36 years in education as a teacher and coach. He started the wrestling program at Palatine (H.S.) and also launched the prestigious Palatine Invitational Tournament in 1965. Four of his Palatine wrestlers were state champions, a total of 13 were place winners. His 1963 team finished third in the state tournament. His Palatine teams won more than 150 dual meets. John was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1979.

Bob Pickens was an outstanding athlete at Evanston (Twp.) in football, wrestling and track and field. He took the state heavyweight title in 1961 and placed second in 1962. He was second in the shot put at the state track and field meet in both 1960-61. In the 1964 Olympic Games, Bob placed 6th in Greco-Roman. He played football at Wisconsin and then Nebraska before he joined the Bears, where he played in the NFL for three years. Since then he has been a college and high school football and wrestling official. Bob was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1983.