Brandon Eggum
MinnesotaBrandon Eggum has completed his third season as the Gophers’ head coach in 2018-19 after spending five previous seasons serving as the program’s head assistant coach. Last season was Eggum's 19th on the wrestling team staff. Prior to assuming an assistant coach role in 2004, Eggum served as the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator (2001-2004).
Since taking over as Gophers head coach Eggum has led the Gophers to over 30 dual victories, multiple top-ten NCAA finishes, and numerous All-Americans.
Following a decorated career as a Gopher wrestler, Eggum joined the staff in 2000-01 and has since helped train and develop nine individual national champions, 27 individual conference champs and 67 All-Americans. The team success during that time has also been remarkable, a run which has included all three of the program’s national titles, five Big Ten championships and seven National Duals crowns.
Since joining the staff, Eggum has played a part in national title runs by Luke Becker, Jared Lawrence, Dustin Schlatter and Jayson Ness, as well as two-time champions Damion Hahn, Cole Konrad and Tony Nelson. All seven of those young men also won Big Ten titles with Eggum on staff, but the list of Big Ten champs during Eggum’s tenure also includes: Garrett Lowney, Owen Elzen, Ryan Lewis, Leroy Vega, Jacob Volkmann, Mack Reiter, C.P. Schlatter, Roger Kish, Mike Thorn, Kevin Steinhaus, Dylan Ness and Chris Dardanes. The list of All-Americans under Eggum’s watch goes on even longer.
Prior to his coaching career, Eggum was a four-time letterwinner for the Gophers from 1997 to 2000. As a sophomore, Eggum earned an All-America certificate at 177 pounds. In 1999, he bumped up to 184 pounds, where he would place second and third at the next two NCAA Championships, respectively. Eggum also won the Big Ten title at his weight both of those seasons and helped Minnesota win the 1999 Big Ten championship, the program’s first since 1959. Eggum’s name still litters the program’s record books as well. His 115 career wins and his .833 career winning percentage (115-23) are both among 25 best in Gopher history, while his 61 dual victories is tied for 12th.
In addition to his experience coaching at the collegiate level, Eggum has spent many years working closely with local wrestling clubs. He speaks and teaches at clinics all across the country sharing his passion for the sport.
As impressive as Eggum was on the mat, he also stood out in the classroom as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2000, with a B.S. in Applied Economics.
A native of Sidney, Mont., Eggum currently resides in Stillwater, Minn., with his wife Katrina, son Greyson, and two daughters, Lillian and Monroe.
Damion Hahn
South DakotaDamion Hahn, who helped build Cornell into a national power over the past decade, was hired on April 9, 2018, to lead the South Dakota University wrestling program.
Hahn spent 12 years as an assistant coach and later the associate head coach at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure, the Big Red recorded 11 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships, including consecutive runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. He mentored 50 All-Americans, 12 of whom were individual NCAA champions. Cornell also won 12 straight Ivy League dual championships and 11 consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association team titles.
In accepting his first head coaching position, Hahn will make a return to the Midwest. As a collegiate wrestler at Minnesota, Hahn won NCAA individual national titles as a junior and senior. A four-time All-American, he also was a three-time Big 10 individual champion and was named the Jesse Owens Big 10 Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. The Golden Gophers won team NCAA championships during both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Bud Hennebaul
GeorgiaBud began wrestling at the Wilkes-Barre YMCA in 1966. He went on to wrestle at Lake-Lehman Jr. and Sr. High School in Pennsylvania. Bud competed internationally with the USA/AAU in Turkey in the summer of 1976. Bud's family relocated to Georgia in 1977 and he completed his last two years of high school wrestling by placing 1st and 2nd at the GHSA State Tournament. Bud continued his wrestling career at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. He went on to coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from 1982-86.
After marrying Beverly Seebeck Hennebaul they moved to Florida where Bud coached at Middleburg High School. Bud began officiating wrestling in 1980 and continues to officiate actively while serving as the president of the Metro Atlanta Wrestling Officials Association. Bud was a co-founder of the MAWOA in 1993. Bud has officiated at numerous state championships in Florida and Georgia. He officiated at the NCAA level for four years before focusing on the development of officials at the high school level. Bud orchestrated the Georgia High School Association "All Classification State Wrestling Championships". At the time it was the largest high school state wrestling tournament in the nation with 2016 wrestlers and 3,822 matches. The tournament continues to be recognized as one of the best high state championships in the country.
He has been the GHSA State Wrestling Tournament Director for the dual state championship and traditional championships since 2002. Bud has been the tournament director for 181 Georgia High School State Championship tournaments. Bud is a Board Member with the Atlanta Takedown Association and serves on the boards of numerous wrestling organizations. Bud played a big part in bringing the Southern Scuffle to Chattanooga. He continues to be a part of the tournament as it is recognized as one of the best college wrestling tournaments in the nation outside of the NCAA Tournament. Bud currently is the National Wrestling Coaches Association Director of Scholastic CEO leadership Academies as he continues to be an ambassador of wrestling.
Bob Roop
District TBDBorn in Blacksburg, Virginia in 1942 to Frank Sidney Roop Jr. and Ruth Palmer Roop, grew up in extended family with brothers Frank Jr. III and Richard, and sisters Ellen and Jennifer. With dad as college professor of engineering, family moves as he rose in teaching positions, added to by a three-year stint at West Point, NY, during Korean War, had our family moving about the US on a regular basis. By the time I entered seventh grade at East Lansing, MI, I had attended five different elementary schools, that nomadic early life giving me an extended yen for travel.
During high school at East Lansing, I played football, was a member of the wrestling team, and threw the shot put on the track team. Awarded a football scholarship to Michigan State University at East Lansing, I played football and wrestled there for two years. Leaving MSU to join the US Army, I served my three year enlistment at seven different military postings. Returned to college via wrestling scholarship at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, graduating with Liberal Arts degree in 1969. Married while at SIU, fathered son Michael Andrew in 1968.
Scratched itch for travel by entering professional wrestling after college, touring Japan and Australia during my first year in the business. Returned to both countries multiple times during my career, as well as England, Scotland, Germany, Korea, New Zealand, Tasmania, Iraq, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, multiple National Wrestling Alliance promotions as well as the WWWF for three appearances in Madison Square Garden. I barely escaped being murdered by Saddam Hussein in Iraq, am now four years into the written telling of it via Wrestling for Saddam-Held Hostage by a Monster. Though my 20-year career was relatively short, I worked in all areas of the profession i.e., wrestler, booker, owner, TV producer and color commentator, and vice-president and developer of a startup wrestling company.
Met sweet Molly Ann Urig in 1976, married her and fathered sons Ryan and Kyle. Retired from pro wrestling upon birth of son Ryan in 1989, returned to East Lansing in new role as Mr. Mom for both sons. I served as a volunteer parent in their classrooms and also worked as a playground supervisor at their elementary school, became interested in teaching, went back to college at age 64 for a three-year stint to become certified as K-7 elementary school teacher and K-12 Special Education Teacher.
Worked in that profession until Molly suffered two strokes making her an invalid and me her fulltime caregiver. Youngest son Kyle was hired by his mother to aid in taking care of her and we together spent the next several years making her life as comfortable as possible in her own home. The strokes eventually took her life in July of 2017, but we had been given almost three years to show our love and devotion during her slow but steady departure from our family. Our forty-one years together blessed my life; our sons Ryan, Kyle, and I are still together as co-owners of our home.
Amateur wrestling earned state and national championships, All-Army and All-Services team membership, and All-American and Olympian status. Professional wrestling competition gained titles allowing me to wear twenty-two championship belts, some of them several times. Those amateur and pro efforts earned the honor of peer recognition and induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame via The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, The Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame, and the National Amateur Athletic Union (NAAU) Wrestling Hall of Fame. Having known and competed against a man who was the greatest wrestler of his era, I was personally touched and honored by receiving the Cauliflower Alley Club Lou Thesz Award. Because I have only recently had the privilege of personally meeting members of their legendary dynasty, I am extremely appreciative of the Hart Family honoring me with the Stu Hart Lifetime Achievement Award.
Because without them I would not be writing this, my most fervent ‘thank you’ goes to PWHF President Johnny Mantell and PWHF Board of Directors, the PWHF Induction Screening Committee, and the PWHF Distinguished Selection Committee. I am honored beyond the words to express it to be nominated and accepted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum at Wichita Falls. The respect and deep regard shown by PWHF for my predecessors and colleagues makes my addition to their ranks a singular honor of inestimable value to me and mine. Last but most certainly not least, I am also very grateful to supporters of the PWHF, without you we could not exist and an integral part of the honor I feel is pure joy for being able to share this tribute with you. From my heart of hearts….thank you.
