A member of the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a familiar face in Ohio Valley wrestling circles, Rick Welker begins his second season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the West Liberty University wrestling program.
   Welker was on Coach Danny Irwin's staff at Wheeling as the Cardinals made their run to the runner-up trophy in the 2019 NCAA Division II Nationals in Cleveland but the Hilltopper assistant has been part of the vibrant Ohio Valley wrestling scene for nearly 40 years.
   He was a varsity wrestler on Wheeling Park High School's 1990 Ron Mauck OVAC Tournament championship squad and compiled a 72-4 dual meet record as a coach at Triadelphia Middle School, earning the 2019 OVAC Middle School Coach of the Year Award. A well-regarded official who has worked several OVAC and West Virginia mat tournaments, Welker is a past president of Wheeling Small-Fry Wrestling and the Wheeling Wrestling Club.
   The versatile Welker is also an accomplished writer and broadcaster, who hosts a weekly wrestling program on a local radio station. Honored in 2013 as West Virginia's Snyder-Miller Wrestling Sportswriter of the Year, he and his father, Dr. Bill Welker, were also chosen as the 2013 National Wrestling Sportswriters of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine.
   Rick Welker was inducted into the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame during an October 2019 ceremony at Embassy Suites in Charleston, joining his father – a 2008 inductee – as the only father-son duo to be enshrined.
   Welker retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a Senior Drill Instructor and Recruiter and is now employed by USA Compression Company. He and his wife, Shelly, reside in Wheeling. They have six children: Chase, Camden, Cheyenne, Canon, Taylah and Isaac. Canon is a freshman on the 2020-21 Hilltopper wrestling squad.
Â
   COACH IRWIN SAYS: Coach Welker may not have been in the actual corner coaching a lot of matches, but he was in the corner of every student-athlete we had during my time at Wheeling. He is an extremely strong mentor who always has the best interests of our guys at heart. He was instrumental in the rise of Wheeling's program and will be a key person in building upon the rich tradition here on the hilltop.
Â
