KANNAPOLIS—Bob Mauldin, one of the true giants in North Carolina High School wrestling, died on Saturday. He was 78 years old.

     Mauldin had served for many years as the regional supervisor of officials for the Central Wrestling Officials Association.  He was also well known as the editor of Mat News, which was an indispensable source of information about high school wrestling across North Carolina in the pre-Internet days.  Coaches and media couldn’t wait to get their copy of the publications, which included copies of wrestling box scores across the state, news about tournaments and other wrestling information, and his rankings of wrestlers that he called the Motivation List.

     His media work related to Mat News helped him earn the NCHSAA Media Representative of the Year award in 1992.

     A graduate of Concord High School and Appalachian State Teachers College, he was the head wrestling coach A.L. Brown in Kannapolis for eight years, from 1961-69, and then worked in administration in the Kannapolis system after earning his master’s degree from Tennessee.

     However, he continued to work with the sport of wrestling and was an active wrestling official before serving as a regional supervisor of officials for the Central Wrestling Officials Association for more than 30 years,

     There will be a memorial service celebrating Bob’s life on Saturday, March 28, at the First Presbyterian Church in Kannapolis, starting at 2 p.m, where he was a long-time member. The family will receive friends after the service in the fellowship hall at the church.