Former Franklin wrestling coach Bob Hasseman will be honored Saturday at the event bearing his name.
Daily Journal file photo
Bob Hasseman isn’t one to go chasing spotlights.
However, one is going to find him Saturday as Franklin rededicates its fieldhouse, which is now named after the longtime Grizzly Cubs wrestling coach.
Fittingly, the ceremony inside Hasseman Fieldhouse takes place before the final round of matches at the Bob Hasseman Classic.
“Anytime you get thrown into the limelight, you’re like, ‘Am I really deserving of this?’” said the 71-year-old Hasseman, who served as Franklin’s coach from 1986 to 2019 before deciding to retire. “It is a little bit embarrassing, to be honest.
“At first, I thought it was a joke, but it is a great honor. When something like this happens you think, maybe I did some good there that I didn’t think about while I was there. I enjoyed going to school every day.”
Those days helped generate many of the pinnacle moments in program history.
Hasseman’s lengthy tenure, which also included teaching physical education, being Franklin’s strength and conditioning coach and being an assistant football coach, produced 19 wrestling squads that went on to win sectional and 11 that claimed regional championships. He had 20 Grizzly Cub teams that won the Johnson County tournament and 17 crowned Mid-State Conference champions. Hasseman coached 26 individual wrestlers who placed at the state finals, and had four state champions — Bryce Hasseman (2000), Aaron Clark (2001), D.J. Smith (2014) and Jacob Stevenson (2014).
The 2013-14 Franklin team, which finished as the state runner-up, also featured Skyler Lykins, who was the Mental Attitude winner at state.
Hasseman and his wife Debbie have five children, all Franklin graduates, and eight grandchildren.
Family and friends will be one of the aspects most important to Hasseman at Saturday’s ceremony.
“When coach Hasseman first told me he was retiring, this was something I wanted to see happen,” Franklin athletic director Bill Doty said. “He really elevated the wrestling program when he came here in the 1980s and really was the face of that program.
“He did it by building relationships. You can push kids and ask them to raise the bar. If they trust you, they’ll do anything for you, and that’s what he was able to achieve.”
IF YOU GO
Bob Hasseman Classic
When: Saturday, 9 a.m.
Where: Franklin HS
Admission: $10 (cash or card)
Participating schools: Franklin, Cloverdale, Martinsville, Monrovia, Plainfield, Triton Central
