Born in Concord, North Carolina, Mauldin was a 1956 graduate of Concord High School. He enrolled at Appalachian State Teachers College, earning a degree in History and Physical Education in 1961. While at Appalachian State, Mauldin lettered in soccer and as manager of the varsity football and wrestling teams. He began his 37-year career in education in 1961 in the Kannapolis City Schools System, teaching Health and Physical Education, as well as coaching wrestling, JV football and track at A.L. Brown High School. He was the head wrestling coach A.L. Brown in Kannapolis for eight years, from 1961-69 before moving into administration in the Kannapolis system. Mauldin was Principal at J.F. McKnight for 23 years, a school that was recognized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a Model Kindergarten School and for an exemplary curriculum developed by the school staff. Mauldin was a member of numerous education associations and selected as Principal of the Year in 1991. Mauldin founded the North Carolina High School Wrestling Mat News in 1968. He was the editor of Mat News for 45 years, providing an indispensable source of information about high school wrestling across the state before this information available on the Internet. Coaches and media eagerly awaited the arrival of their publications by mail, which included copies of wrestling box scores across the state, news about tournaments and other wrestling information, and team rankings that Mauldin named the “Motivation List.” Mauldin also served for over 30 years as regional supervisor of officials for the Central Wrestling Officials Association. He acquired countless accolades and awards for his service and dedication to wrestling. In 1990, Wrestling USA Magazine named him "State Man of the Year" for North Carolina. His media work related to Mat News helped him earn the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Media Representative of the Year award in 1992. In 1999, the National Wrestling Media Association awarded Mat News the Wrestling Publication of the Year presented at the NCAA Division I Tournament. The first annual Bob Mauldin Mat News Wrestling Classic in honor of his promotion of wrestling was held in 2007.  In August 2014, Mauldin received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Governor Pat McCrory. The award is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state and is called the state's highest civilian honor. Mauldin is a member of both the North Carolina Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (2004) and the Cabarrus County Sports Hall of Fame (2014).