IHSA Announcements

February 17, 1998

1998 Wrestling Grand Marshals Named

Four Grand Marshals, with more than a combined 125 years contributions to the sport, will lead the annual Grand March of Finalists Saturday night (Feb. 21) before the championship bouts of the 61st Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Final Individual Wrestling Tournament.

Named Grand Marshals for 1998 are:
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 march around the Assembly Hall arena floor. With spotlights shining on Old Glory and students from Jacksonville (Illinois School for the Deaf), the playing, singing and signing of the National Anthem by the traditional crowd in excess of 10,000 is a spectacle of high school athletics seen nowhere else in America.

Here is a closer look at the 1998 Grand Marshals:

Bob Billberg In 1962, Bob Billberg won the state heavyweight title for Waukegan, and then won two NAIA titles in four years at Moorhead State College. During his sophomore year, Bob defeated Syracuse standout James Nance. It was Nance's only defeat in college. He served as Libertyville head coach for 15 years, where his teams won 109 dual meets and five regional crowns. He is a member of both the NAIA and IWCOA Halls of Fame.

Ed Luety A state qualifier for East Leyden in 1964, Ed Luety has had an exceptional career as a wrestling official. He started officiating in 1969 and in the 29 years since, he has been named IWCOA Official of the Year four times, received the National Federation Service Award for Wrestling, has officiated the IHSA individual state final 14 times and the dual team state final 10 times. In 1989, Ed was named Illinois "Wrestling Man of the Year".

Steve Weiss In his 22 years at Fenton, Steve Weiss has coached his teams to a dual meet record of 337-91-12 and one state championship. From 1977-81, his Bison teams won 65 consecutive dual meets. Steve coached state final qualifiers in every weight class prior to this year's 14 class addition, and of those 53 qualifiers 21 placed and three were state champions. He has served as a volunteer bench official at the past nine individual state final tournaments. A Skokie (Niles East) product, he also coaches tennis at Fenton and is a member of both the IWCOA and ITCA Halls of Fame.

Rex Whitlach Urbana native Rex Whitlatch won state championships as a sophomore and senior for the Tigers, then captained the University of Illinois team before a long career in coaching. He assisted at Niles Township four years before heading to Hinsdale (Central). He was head wrestling coach for the Red Devils for 28 of his 32 years in the Hinsdale System, and developed the prestigious Hinsdale Central Invitational Tournament, now named after him. He is a member of the IWCOA Hall of Fame.