Illinois wrestling history is filled with the achievements of great wrestlers, coaches, officials and teachers who have been examples for so many. They are the backbone of a sport that has built character, teamwork and life success for millions. 

For nearly a half-century, Rob Sherrill has been one of those who told their stories. Over a career that began in 1978, not long after receiving his MBA and starting in the corporate world (that part of his resume concluded after a decade or so), Sherrill progressed from being a seasonal beat writer who covered nine south suburban schools to the name virtually everybody in Illinois mentions when the subject turns to “who, what, where, when and why.” 

When he moved to the Chicago Sun-Times in 1984, a run that would last nearly a decade, Sherrill worked alongside some of the best in the business covering the sport – the late Reid Hanley, Mike Clark, Mike Garofola, Curt Herron and Fred Kroner, among others. Much of that fraternity remains intact today. 

Where Sherrill took a different path, and, at that time, a new one, was his decision to go statewide with his focus. In 1983, he started The Illinois Best Weekly, a weekly subscription publication that ranked the state’s top teams and wrestlers, from the pre-season through the state tournament. It is believed to be the first publication of its kind, using this concept, to be initiated in any state as a feature of its high school wrestling scene. 

Sherrill’s statewide rankings have been an integral part of every wrestling season since. The concept has progressed through several iterations, including a variety of web hosts, but it continues to this day. A member of the first team to telecast the state tournament in 1987, Sherrill remains the web voice of the Class 3A state finals at the State Farm Center in Champaign every February.

In 1996, Sherrill published the first book to be written about Illinois high school wrestling, Tales from the Mat: 60 Glorious Years of Illinois High School Wrestling. A revised and updated edition, Beyond Tales from the Mat, was published in 2013, as the state tournament series reached its 75th year. 

Sherrill was inducted into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2004, the first media member to earn the honor. 

Sherrill’s influence in the prep wrestling world also has a national focus. After serving as tournament director for events such as the Walsh Ironman and in media relations for the National High School Coaches Association in the 1990s, he became the National High School Editor for WIN Magazine, a post he has held for over 20 years. His national rankings for the publication and his editorial opinions have become must-reads. His favorite WIN stories over the years, however, were the ones where he took advantage of opportunities to give the spotlight to wrestling in his home state. 

After all, for Rob Sherrill, Illinois is still home.