Bob Kopecky grew up in Waukesha with his parents Ann and Jerry Kopecky, older sister Beth and younger brother Steve. Bob’s wrestling career began at a young age when his father would show him wrestling moves on the living room floor. This passion for wrestling was further fueled by weekends spent tagging along with his father to attend wrestling meets throughout southeast Wisconsin.

As a student at Waukesha South High School, Bob lettered in football and wrestling.
Following his junior year of high school, Bob won the Junior National Wrestling Tournament 191.5 pound Greco Roman title. Bob then went on to win the individual WIAA Class A 185 pound title as a senior. This individual title was made even sweeter with his Waukesha South Blackshirts team Class A title at State under the direction of WWCA Hall of Fame Coach Ken Heine. At the end of his senior year Bob was named to the High School All-American team.
Upon graduation, Bob again competed in the Junior National Greco Roman Wrestling Tournament, taking runner-up at heavyweight.
Bob began his collegiate wrestling career at UW-Madison and then transferred to UNLV during his sophomore year. As a qualifier for the NCAA Division 1 wrestling tournament in 1984, Bob then moved to Oklahoma State University (as UNLV had disbanded their men’s
wrestling program). While at OSU, Bob received the Gorriaran Award during the Big 8 Tournament for the most pins in the least amount of time and then went on to qualify once again for the NCAA Division 1 tournament.
Bob coached under Hall of Fame Coach Dr. Willie Myers at UW Whitewater from 1985-1988, and was able to help coach his brother Steve, a two-time All-American wrestler for the Warhawks. While at Whitewater, Bob continued wrestling, placing sixth at the US Open Freestyle Tournament in 1987.
Upon graduation from UW Whitewater, Bob began his coaching career at Prairie du Chien High School. In 1990, Bob moved to the West Bend School District and became the head wrestling coach for the West Bend West Spartans. During his 17-year career at West Bend West, Bob had one WIAA state champion, twenty WIAA state qualifiers and nine WIAA state place winners. Under his leadership, West Bend West won its first Conference Team Championship and WIAA Regional Championship in 2000, and Bob was named District 6 Coach of the Year.
In 2014, Bob, his wife Jill and their three kids, Tess, Jack and Cale moved to Nolensville, Tennessee. Bob was hired as the Ravenwood High School head wrestling coach in 2015 and had two TSSA state place winners in 2016. Bob had the ultimate coach / parent moment as an assistant coach of the Ravenwood Raptor football team, working with his son, Jack — a defensive end, to win the 2015 Division 6A Tennessee State title.
Bob and his family continue to live in Nolensville, Tennessee. Tess graduated in May of 2017 from the University of Iowa and is working on her Master’s in Management at Lipscomb University. Jack attends UT - Knoxville and Cale is finishing his senior year at Ravenwood High School. Bob continues to make a difference in the lives of young people through his work at Crockett Elementary School.
Bob is grateful for all the people who have coached him throughout the years — his parents as his main role models, his siblings, his countless wrestling and football coaches, the young people he’s worked with throughout the years, and finally his wife and kids. Each of these people have had an impact on instilling his great love of sports, competition, wrestling, and parenthood. Thanks to the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association for this honor.

Waukesha South High School
1980 Wisconsin High School State Champion; 185 lb. 33-0, 29 pins
1980 Member of Class A WIAA State Championship Team
1980 High School All-American
1979 Junior National Greco Roman Champion; 191.5 lb.
1980 Junior National Greco Roman Runner-Up; HWT

College
1984 NCAA Division 1 National Tournament Qualifier, UNLV
1984 Olympic Trials Freestyle Participant
1985 Gorriaran Award, Big Eight Conference Tournament
1985 NCAA Division 1 National Tournament Qualifier, Oklahoma State
1987 6th place; US Freestyle Senior Open Championships
1987 National Olympic Festival Qualifier

Coaching
1985-1988 Assistant Coach at UW-Whitewater
1988-1990 Head Coach; Prairie du Chien HS (15-11 record)
1990-2007 Head Coach; West Bend West HS (156-145-3 record)
2015-2016 Head Coach; Ravenwood HS, Brentwood, TN (13-11 record)
2000 1st Conference Team Championship
2000 1st WIAA Regional Team Championship
2000 WWCA District 6 Coach of the Year
23 Individual Wisconsin Little Ten Conference Champions
20 Individual WIAA State Qualifiers
9 Individual WIAA State Place Winners
1 Individual WIAA State Champion
4 Individual TSSAA State Qualifiers
2 Individual TSSAA State Place Winners

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