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. 22) before the championship bouts of the 66th Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Final Individual Wrestling Tournament.

Named Grand Marshals for 2003 are:

James (Jim) Cartwright, a high school wrestler at East Leyden and the long-time head wrestling coach at Hoffman Estates (Conant).

William (Bill) Cartwright, another high school wrestler at East Leyden and the long-time head wrestling coach at Maywood (Proviso East).

Augie Genovesi, this year's third honoree to wrestle in high school at East Leyden and the long-time head wrestling coach at Niles (Notre Dame).

James Kruempelstaedter, a high school wrestler at Chicago (Lane Tech) and a long-time wrestling coach and official.

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. 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, and glow sticks in the hands of the fans illuminating the mats and wrestlers, 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 is witness to a spectacle of high school athletics seen nowhere else in America.

Here is a closer look at the 2003 Grand Marshals:

Jim Cartwright was a four-year all-conference wrestler and football player at East Leyden. He played both sports at Triton Junior College, and then wrestled at Illinois State University. Now in his 29th year at Hoffman Estates (Conant), he has been the school's head wrestling coach for 25 of those 29 years. His teams have won 425 dual meets and 17 Mid-Suburban League overall championships. Jim's Conant teams placed second in the state in 1983, 1995 and 2000. His teams have won 15 regional titles and five sectionals. He has coached 82 state meet individual qualifiers, including 32 place winners and eight state champions. Elected to the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1994, Jim has been its coach of the year in 1983 and 2000. In 1984, he served as president of IWCOA and was its treasurer for four years.

Bill Cartwright began a great coaching career in 1970 at Proviso East where he was on the staff for football, wrestling and baseball. He became head wrestling coach in 1977 and served until his retirement in 1996. His Pirate teams were state champions in 1986 and 1991. They finished second in 1980 and 1981 under the old scoring format and also 4th in 1989 and 3rd in 1990 under the dual team format. Bill coached a total of 78 state qualifiers, with 26 place winners and six of them individual champions. His teams won over 300 dual meets. Nominated for IWCOA Coach of the year six times, Bill won the honor in 1980, 1986 and 1991. He served on the IHSA Wrestling Advisory Committee and was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 1993.

Augie Genovesi was a teammate of Jim Cartwright at East Leyden. He has coached football and wrestling for over 30 years. He helped to start the wrestling program at Chicago (Marist) with Paul Froelich in 1975. Three years later he joined the staff at Niles (Notre Dame). In 1986 he took over at Notre Dame. His teams have won over 270 dual meets. Augie has coached 27 state qualifiers, including six place winners. Since 1994, eleven of his wrestlers have earned Academic All-American honors. Outside of Notre Dame, he has coached over 20 national wrestling teams that have competed in eight countries outside the United States. A former president of IWCOA, he was elected to its Hall of Fame in 1994.

James Kruempelstaedter has been involved in wrestling as a competitor, coach and official for more than 45 years. After graduation from Chicago (Lane Tech), he was a three-year varsity performer for the University of Wisconsin. He began his high school coaching career at Waukegan as an assistant to Ott Bay at Waukegan, moved to Winnetka (New Trier) as assistant under Al Hurley for two years before serving at New Trier head coach for 18 years. He retired in 1994. As an official, he has worked IHSA and college for more than 40 years. At the college level, he has officiated at the NCAA Division I finals five times, as well as the NCAA Division II, NAIA and National Junior College finals. He was an official at the 1964 and 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials, was head official for the 1970 Pan American Games, and worked numerous international Freestyle and Greco-Roman championships. Jim was one of the four co-founders of the Mid-States Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association, a forerunner to the IWCOA. In 1987 he was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame.  In 1997 Jim was elected to the Illinois Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

JIM CARTWRIGHT
Hoffman Estates (Conant)

BILL CARTWRIGHT
Maywood (Proviso East)

AUGIE GENOVESI
Niles (Notre Dame)

JAMES KRUEMPELSTAEDTER
Winnetka (New Trier)