Britt Wrestling Legend Bob Steenlage Announced as Army West Point Sports Hall of Famer

Bob Steenlage, Iowa’s first four-time wrestling champion, will soon have his name added to another prestigious list. Steenlage’s alma mater, Army West Point, announced the 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame Class in late May. Steenlage will be among seven new inductees in the 22nd class of the Army Sports Hall of Fame. A formal black-tie induction ceremony will take place on Friday, September 11, while a special plaque unveiling ceremony will be held at halftime of the September 12 football game against the University of South Florida.

As a wrestler at Army West Point from 1963 to 1966, Steenlage was undefeated in dual meets. This included handing three-time NCAA champion Mike Caruso the lone loss of his collegiate career. In 1965, he was the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association conference champion at 130 pounds. One year later, Steenlage was named a team captain. He would end up finishing in third place at the NCAA tournament’s 123-pound bracket, earning him NCAA All-American honors. The 1966 West Point team finished 10th at the NCAA Championships, the highest ever finish of any West Point wrestling team. In both his junior and senior years, Steenlage received the Athletic Board Award as the outstanding performer on the West Point team.

Before West Point, Steenlage was a graduate of Britt High School, where he became Iowa’s first four-time wrestling champion, and just the second four-time champion in the nation. Steenlage was a champion at four different weight classes, winning at 95 pounds in 1959, 103 pounds in 1960, 113 pounds in 1961, and 120 pounds in 1962. Over the course of his high school career, Steenlage had a record of 74-7-5. He helped Britt win the Class B state titles in 1961 and 1962.

Even after his wrestling career ended, Steenlage’s impact on the sport in Iowa remained strong, as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum presents the “Bob Steenlage Outstanding Wrestler Award” annually to the outstanding senior Iowa wrestler.

Steenlage graduated from Army West Point’s Airborne and Ranger Schools. He was a platoon leader and company commander in the Vietnam War in 1968, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.

Bob currently resides on his farm win Wisconsin, where he and his wife Bobbi have lived since 1977. They have been married for sixty years and have eight children.