Light family to be inducted into Glen Brand HOF

The Light family of Lisbon, Iowa will be inducted into the Class of 2024 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame for the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award. 

The Glen Brand Hall of Fame is a part of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa that honors Iowans that made an impact as a wrestler, coach, or contributor to wrestling.

I was able to follow the career of all of the second generation of Light family wrestlers. Randy and Rudy (Dad and Uncle of the Light wrestlers) were both a contributing part in the early formation of the Lisbon Wrestling dynasty as wrestlers. 

Randy and Rudy have both been very influential in the success and tradition of Lisbon Wrestling for decades. Shane, Zach, and Ike grew up across the street from my parents house on the northside of Lisbon. I was able to see firsthand the commitment that the Light family had to the sport of wrestling as the young wrestlers grew up to be state champions.

Congratulations to the entire Light family for receiving this great and much deserved honor.

The Happel family of Lisbon was inducted into the Glen Brand HOF for the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award in 2021. To have two of the first five families win this prestigious honor from the same small town of Lisbon is a source of pride for me and many others.

Go Lions!

From NWHOF.org:

Comprised of 11 wrestlers, the Light Family will receive the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award. The Light’s wrestling tradition begin with brothers Randy and Rudy, who wrestled for Lisbon High School from 1966 to 1969 and from 1968 to 1971, respectively. Randy’s son, Vance, was a two-time Iowa state champion, a three-time finalist and a four-time place-winner with a career record of 132-6 for Lisbon from 1984 to 1987. After placing second at 98 pounds in 1984 and fourth at 105 pounds in 1985, Vance won back-to-back state titles at 112 pounds in 1986 and at 119 pounds in 1987. He wrestled at Drake University from 1987 to 1992, qualifying for the NCAA Division I Championships in 1992 at 126 pounds. Vance has been the head wrestling coach at Mount Vernon High School for the last 30 years. Rudy’s four sons, Shane, Zach, Ike, and Tyler, all wrestled for Lisbon High School. Shane was a four-time Iowa state champion and had a career record of 139-9 from 1987 to 1990. He was a Junior World Team Trials runner-up in 1990 at 132 pounds. Shane wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and was a National Junior College Athletic Association national qualifier in 1992 at 125 pounds. He was an assistant coach for Ellsworth for two seasons and then was an assistant coach for six seasons at Lisbon, under his head coach Brad Smith. Zach was a two-time Iowa state champion and a three-time place-winner with a career record of 152-8 for Lisbon from 1989 to 1992. He placed seventh at Junior Nationals in 1991 and second in 1992. Zach wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and was an NJCAA runner-up in 1992 at 142 pounds. Ike won three Iowa state championships and had a third-place finish while compiling a 157-6 record for Lisbon from 1990 to 1993. He wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and coached for four years at a high school in California. Tyler wrestled for two years at Lisbon. Randy’s grandsons, Zebula and Justin, wrestled for Mount Vernon High School from 2006 to 2009 and from 2014 to 2017, respectively. Zebula had a career record of 118-46 and finished seventh at the state tournament at 119 pounds in 2009. Justin had a career record of 109-53 and qualified for the state tournament in 2016 and 2017.

The Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named after the Bowlsby Family from Waterloo. John Bowlsby and Bob Bowlsby wrestled for legendary coach Bob Siddens at Waterloo West High School while their parents, Bob and Pat, and sisters, Ann, Sarah, and Jane, were instrumental in their careers.

A banquet honoring the Class of 2024 will be held at Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly, Iowa, on June 21, 2024. Click here to purchase tickets. For more information, contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or [email protected].