ASHLAND – Bob Riehm, the NAIA Hall-of-Fame coach who turned the Southern Oregon University wrestling program into a national power, died peacefully Monday. He was 83.

Riehm presided over the Raider men's wrestling team for 25 years, won three national championships, and mentored 100 NAIA All-Americans. His legendary run as a coach and educator at the school began in 1969. Today, his legacy lives on in the gymnasium named for him, Bob Riehm Arena, at SOU's Lithia Motors Pavilion.

"Bob Riehm's name and legacy is unmatched in the halls of SOU and NAIA wrestling," SOU Director of Athletics Matt Sayre said. "He had a huge impact on the lives of so many he coached and worked with, and that continued after his retirement. He will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in Raider history. We're honored to have his name grace our facility and the several scholarships he set up to support our program."

Riehm's first Southern Oregon team went 7-7 in dual matches, but the Raiders were never in danger of finishing .500 or worse for the remainder of his tenure. With a 270-71-2 career record, he stands alone atop the Raider wins list and is still responsible for nearly half the wins accumulated in program history (568).

His ninth season, the 1977-78 campaign, brought the school's first-ever national team title. Five years later, the Raiders won another – the culmination of their first undefeated season, a 12-0-1 march capped by back-to-back wins over Oregon and Oregon State.

Riehm's Raiders hung their third NAIA championship banner following the 1993-94 season, his last as head coach. All told, he was twice named NAIA Coach of the Year, coached 13 individual national champions, won 12 regional team titles, and posted 18 top-eight national finishes.

In 1988, Riehm was inducted to the NAIA Hall of Fame. He's since earned admittance to the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the SOU Sports Hall of Fame, to which four teams he coached have also been inducted.

On Feb. 5, 2011, the gymnasium inside McNeal Pavilion officially became Bob Riehm Arena at a dedication ceremony that marked the conclusion of a fund drive in Riehm's honor. Led by the Riehm family, it raised over $100,000 that went toward scholarships and a new wrestling mat, sound system and scoreboards for the gym.

A native of Britt, Iowa, Riehm wrestled at University of Iowa and graduated in 1960.

"First, the SOU wrestling family sends its condolences to Bob's family," Raider wrestling coach Joel Gibson said. "His hard work and dedication put SOU wrestling on the map and is the reason why our program has such a strong tradition. He was instrumental in shaping the lives of countless young men who came through here, and his role as a mentor will have a lasting impact. We'll do our best to honor his legacy for many years to come."


Bob Riehm, right, is pictured with his sisters in 2011 at the Riehm Arena dedication ceremony.