Bob has coached wrestling for 55+ years, and only recently retired as a volunteer coach at age 80. He was undefeated in dual meet competition 4 of his 5 years in high school and had an overall record of 49-5-2 in his years at Cheltenham.  Bob was a 1956 District Champion and Regional Runner-up, and he received the Cheltenham High School award as the Outstanding Team Player. 

Bob attended Syracuse University on an art scholarship but was also a member of the wrestling team, competing at 147 thru 171 pounds. While there, he competed at the Olympic Trails. Bob broke his arm which considerably slowed his participation, but then he suffered a severe knee injury which ended his wrestling d. He graduated from Syracuse in 1959, and earned postgraduate degrees from Boston University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Robert began coaching in the early 1960’s at Germantown Academy before becoming an assistant at Cheltenham High School. He has been an asset to Cheltenham Wrestling and held many clinics with top known wrestlers. During his time at Cheltenham he has been a loyal assistant to 8 different Head Coaches mostly as an unpaid coach. He helped to develop several state qualifiers for the Panthers, including 2 State Runners-Up, and was part of a staff that had won several Suburban One League titles. 

Along the way, he was involved with the Philadelphia’s Beat the Streets program. He authored a book that had parts of it published in Amateur Wrestling News. In 1998, Bob received an award from Cheltenham for his lifelong dedication to its wrestling program.

Robert Koffler is a true Renaissance Man – not only was he a fine wrestler, and coached for over 55 years, but after retirement he was an Emeritus Professor at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. During his tenure, he taught Graphics Design, was a critic and teacher of fine arts, a guest lecturer and was an academic dean. While teaching, he also maintained full time career as an artist, participating in countless art shows and exhibitions. 

Bob has an impressive list of awards in his craft, such as the Ford Foundation Medical Sculpture, and the Tau Sigma Delta Art and Architecture Honorary award. He is a board member at Cheltenham Center for the Arts and the Beckert Art Center in Massachusetts. 

Bob and his wife Anny reside in Cheltenham and have 2 children, Nathaniel and Miriam; they also raised two nephews Alex and Jonas.