By FRED KRONER
The trip from Chicago to Mahomet can be made in less than 2 ½ hours.
The distance from Mahomet to Stillwater, Okla., is longer, more like a 9-hour commute.
There is one destination in Stillwater – a college community of about 50,000 – that takes much longer to reach.
For Mahomet-Seymour’s veteran wrestling coach, Rob Ledin, it was a decades-long journey.
A Chicago native—who grew up near Midway Airport—Ledin will soon be enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, which is located in Stillwater.
He is one of six inductees from Illinois who will be honored at the Sunday, Oct. 19 ceremony in Bloomington.
Ledin is about to start his 20th year as head wrestling coach at M-S, a school with a storied history in the sport and one which has continued to flourish under his guidance.
“I believe in wrestling and sports in general,” Ledin said. “Wrestling is a part of my life and made me who I am today. It’s a character-building activity that requires a lot of discipline and a lot of sacrifices.”
Since 1974, when 112-pound Bulldog Matt Miller qualified for state, M-S has had at least one individual advance to the state tournament every year, a still-active streak of 52 years and counting.
No other IHSA school can match that prolonged production since 1974.
A former Class 1A powerhouse—with five team state championships in a seven-year stretch of the 1980s—the Bulldogs have been firmly entrenched in Class 2A during the entirety of Ledin’s coaching tenure.
The National Hall of Fame wasn’t on his to-do list of potential accomplishments.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Ledin said. “You do the work, and don’t think about this part. It never really came into my thought process.”
Former Bulldog Andrew Brewer, an IHSA state champion in 2009, is not among the people who found the announcement unexpected.
“It’s not surprising that he would eventually get there,” Brewer said, “because of his love and passion for it.
“He deserves it. He fit into the Mahomet chain of tradition.”
Marty Williams, who elevated the Bulldog program into a position of prominence as head coach in the 1980s, was responsible for getting Ledin to join the northwestern Champaign County school.
He was the M-S principal in the spring of 2006, when the coaching position became vacant. It was a challenging time for the first-year principal.
“We had no AD at the time (former AD Scott Adreon had accepted the job as principal at Maroa-Forsyth and current AD Matt Hensley was completing his duties at Effingham St. Anthony),” Williams said. “I had to hire a wrestling coach and a basketball coach (which ultimately was Chad Benedict).
“It was very hectic. I talked to people about who was available.”
One of Williams’ contacts was Dave Gannaway, a former high school wrestling coach who was on staff at the Illinois High School Association.
“He confirmed what I thought was a good choice. That was Rob,” Williams said.
For Ledin, the timing was perfect. He had spent eight years as the head coach at Clinton, followed by a two-year stint at Morton, but was between coaching gigs as he completed his master’s degree in education at Illinois State University.
“I thought I would go into education administration after I finished my master’s,” Ledin said.
At the urging of former LeRoy coach Jeff Baughman, Ledin submitted an application for the M-S vacancy. He was aware of the school’s history in wrestling.
“We wrestled them the eight years I was at Clinton, and they beat us seven times,” Ledin said.
Before Ledin committed to M-S, the biggest detail that had to be worked out was a teaching position. None were available. Creating one became a piecemeal project.
“My first year, I was teaching health, P.E., study hall, driver’s ed and alt (alternative) ed,” Ledin said. “I ended up with many hats.”
Though he originally turned down the job offer when there was no full-time teaching job, Ledin had a change of heart when he saw how Williams was trying to make things work.
“I felt that they wanted me,” he said. “It’s good to be wanted.”
There was never a reason for administrators to second-guess the choice.
“He has done an outstanding job,” Williams said. “The record speaks for itself.
“I felt there were things important to keeping the tradition going and he was right on line with all of those things. Wrestling is not a three- or four-month job, but a long commitment.
“He impressed me from a standpoint of his commitment to the sport.”
It took a little longer for some of the squad members to get on board.
“When he took over, I was upset,” Brewer said. “I don’t know if I was supposed to know, but I was aware of other people who were in line (for consideration).”
Brewer was hoping to see someone with a background at M-S get promoted.
“I didn’t know who he was,” Brewer added.
He soon became a believer.
“I got over it pretty quick,” Brewer said. “He was so structured in his practice plan, and we had a lot of fun. It ended up working out well. He was a great choice.
“Rob worked on different aspects. I was comfortable with takedowns, but he emphasized other areas and I was able to improve those areas.”
He said Ledin wasn’t just a coach who explained how things should be done. He was an active participant at every practice.
When workouts started, Brewer said, “he had his practice gear on and was ready to go. He would wrestle with us every day.
“I always had coaches, at every level, who were able to be on the mat, not only to show you, but also to kick your butt. When they are willing to roll around on the mat, it’s easier for them (coaches) to understand what you need to work on.”
Former M-S assistant wrestling coach Jim Risley also favored Ledin’s hiring.
“I’d seen him coach Clinton,” Risley said, “and I knew how dedicated he was, how he conducted himself, his demeanor on the sidelines and how he respected the sport. He’s a tireless worker who wants to get every detail right.
“He understood who we were when he got here. He wanted to help promote the tradition of what we had here. It’s not all about victories, but what wrestling can represent in a young person’s life.
“I’m so appreciative of how he came into an established tradition and polished that tradition. What more could a coach want when they’re out of the game more than to know they’ve done that for people.”
Ledin put his own stamp on the program from the outset. He wasn’t content to continue the status quo.
“When I got here, there were no wall mats,” Ledin said, “just two mats on a concrete (practice) deck.
“The names (of state-placers) on the wall had been damaged. I wanted this to be a special place. Matt (Hensley) gave me leniency with the schedule.
“We spend a lot of time on the bus. We travel more than most schools, to see the competition.”
His first priority, however, was to address the roster.
“We only had 15 returning wrestlers,” Ledin said. “When I came in, I had to build trust again, and build the numbers back so we could have schedules on multiple levels.”
He wanted his dedication to wrestling to be matched by that of his athletes.
“The previous coach (Chad Hay) didn’t practice much over Christmas break,” Ledin said. “We had to do a lot of rebuilding and have a culture change.
“It was important for kids to feel a part of a family of wrestling.”
Ledin’s credentials are impeccable.
At M-S, Ledin’s teams are 372-117 in dual meets. His squads have won 17 conference championships, 14 regional titles (including the last 11 in a row), seven sectional crowns (including the last four in succession) and have earned eight top-eight placements in the dual-team state series.
The Bulldogs placed fourth in Class 2A in 2025 and, in 2023, set a single-season school record with 32 dual-meet wins.
Overall, Ledin has a dual-meet mark of 521-196 in 29 years on the sidelines. He has coached 109 state-qualifiers, 33 of whom earned medals and seven of whom emerged as state champions.
He has coached all-staters at three high schools and guided two schools to state team trophies.
One reason for the continued success at Mahomet-Seymour is the presence of the community’s kids’ club program as well as a thriving junior high team.
Brewer and Jared Ernst helped revive the kids club program more than a decade ago.
“There were three clubs, then there were no clubs,” Brewer recalled. “For some reason, it broke off. He asked if we’d do it, and it was a no-brainer. We didn’t hesitate.”
They devoted two years to getting the program up and running again, then turned it over to Nick Morphew (who is now a volunteer on Ledin’s high school staff).
Their efforts, plus Jason Heinold returning to coach the junior high program, proved instrumental in continuing the school’s success
“When the feeder program drops, you have to teach from scratch (at the next level),” Ledin said. “When the kids club came back and James Heinold returned at the junior high, we were able to get into the room (with the high school team) and be more advanced.”
Ledin started wrestling as a second-grader in Chicago and now calls himself “a junior.”
He has submitted his retirement paperwork and plans to step aside from his teaching position as director of the M-S alternative education program in June, 2027.
He may well leave his coaching duties at that time as well.
“I feel after next year it would be good for the program to have different leadership,” Ledin said. “I have good assistants and it might be time to let them take over. I’ll have to decide what my role will be.”
Ledin’s 20th M-S team will open its season the day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) at the Marmion Academy Classic.
“There will be a lot of 3A schools there,” Ledin said. “That will be a nice eye-opener to see where we stand.”
Forty five boys and 15 girls have signed up to wrestle this season.
Ledin is just as energetic and enthusiastic as when he arrived.
“I’m still very intense,” Ledin said. “I’m still very passionate about the sport.
“I can get on the mat and show technique, and I have high expectations. I’m a better coach on the mental and emotional side. I don’t yell as much.”
Among the veterans on the boys’ team are 190-pound sophomore Marco Casillas (who won 55 matches and placed third at state in 2025), senior Phil Daniels, junior Talon Decker, senior Justus Vrona and junior Weston Neutz, a transfer from Tennessee.
Sophomore Jayvon Tompkins might also work his way into the lineup at 285 pounds.
“Our schedule will sharpen them and give them things to work on,” Ledin said. “We’ll be young down low with some question mark weights, but in the middle and top, we’ll be OK.”
The M-S girls’ team is under the direction of 1992 state champion Jeff Castor. The girls’ program is undergoing changes.
“We’ve run practices simultaneously, but they will have their own practice slots and their own gear,” Ledin said. “It’s time to give them their own culture and develop their own ID.”
Ledin realizes when he finally retires as a coach—or thinks he is retiring—it will be a difficult process.
A line in The Godfather (Part III) could be applicable: ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,’ Ledin said, quoting a movie line from Michael Corleone.
Others from the Illinois Chapter joining Ledin in the six-person 2025 National Wrestling Hall of Fame class are former UI wrestling coach Jim Heffernan, veteran Farmer City official Ron Coit (who has worked 28 consecutive state tournaments), Rob Sherrill, who authored the book on the history of high school wrestling in Illinois, Jeff Hill, a still-active coach who has won 826 dual meets in 34 years at Petersburg Porta (a school with an enrollment under 300) and Granite City’s Mike Garland.
They will all be recognized with a Lifetime Service Award.
