Illinois Family Creates Wrestling Legacy with 645 Combined Victories

By Jennifer Searcy

The family that wrestles together, stays together. At least when it comes to the Bultmann family.
Since 1990, the six Bultmann brothers - Pete, George, Steve, Ben, John and Jake - have created a wrestling legacy at Petersburg (Illinois) PORTA High School with a combined total of 645 victories and just 169 losses, a 79.2 winning percentage.

Pete began the tradition in 1990 with 71 victories, followed by George in 1991, who added 69 wins to the total. Steve placed third at the state tournament twice in his career - in 1995 and 1996. The three youngest brothers - Ben, John and Jake - were state qualifiers three times apiece, with John placing second at the state tournament in 2004.

Wrestling was not something new for the family, as dad, Lee, wrestled at Edwardsville (Illinois) High School. However, the family was not sure if the tradition would continue after its first son, Pete. But, five sons later, the Bultmann tradition came to a close in 2008 as Jake finished his high school career.
PORTA wrestling coach Jeff Hill has seen all of the brothers grow up on and off the mat. When he first coached Pete, he remembered watching Jake running around in diapers. Hill said each boy was different in personality, body type and skill level.

"They each had to find different ways to win," Hill said.

The careers of the older brothers had an influence for each upcoming brother as the younger boys learned just by watching.

"They were just around it," Hill said. "They were always here, always watching their older brothers."
Although at times two brothers were teammates, Hill said the boys were only competitive off the mat.
"I can remember going over to their house for graduation parties, and they would be very competitive during a whiffle-ball or ping-pong game," Hill said.

All of the brothers had early training. Ben, John and Jake began their careers in the Little Blue Jay Club, a wrestling program for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. Each boy had a "hunger for wrestling" and through the club, they were able to refine their skills for more success during high school.

Hill enjoyed working with the family because it supported the program by trusting the coaching staff, taking a hands-off approach.

"Whenever we had a camp to go to or weight training, they always made sure the boys were there," Hill said. "There was never a harsh word or negative comment either way. It was nice."

Even with a family total of 645 victories, Hill said the greatest accomplishment was that each boy graduated high school at the top of his class, with his choice of colleges.

Though it has been many years since they left the halls of PORTA, the older brothers still support the place that gave them so much success. Pete still helps his dad with the scoreboard and computer system at tournaments. The family has also left another mark on the wrestling program, through the Bultmann-Turner Scholarship.

The scholarship is named for Lee and former PORTA principal David Turner, who served on the NFHS Executive Committee (currently the Board of Directors) from 1988 to 1991. It is a $1,000 scholarship for a student who plans to continue wrestling in college. The scholarship was started in 2001 to enable students to compete in college. The students who receive the scholarship must also give back to the program by assisting with 10 summer clinics for the Little Blue Jays Club.

The Bultmann wrestling careers have ended, but the memories and the legacy will last for lifetimes.
"They will always be wrestling fans," Hill said. "After 17 years, it's pretty hard to stop."

Jennifer Searcy is a spring intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a junior at Franklin (Indiana) College majoring in journalism news editorial and public relations.