His story
A champion, a soldier, and the long road back.
Iowa’s first four-time state wrestling champion, a captain at West Point, an Army officer in Vietnam, a teacher, a father of eight, and a speaker who told more than 2,500 audiences the truth about all of it.
Chapter one
The boy from Britt.
Bob Steenlage grew up in Britt, a small town in north-central Iowa, in what he has described as a dysfunctional family. Wrestling gave him somewhere to put the effort. It rewarded preparation, and it left nowhere to hide.
Wrestling for Britt High School, he won state championships in 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1962 — at 95, 103, 112 and 120 pounds. No Iowa wrestler had won four before him. In 2003 the run was named the top sports moment in Britt’s history, and in 2005 the Des Moines Register counted it among the top 100 sports moments in Iowa in the last century.
Chapter two
The Academy, and the Army.
The titles opened the door to the United States Military Academy. At West Point he went four years without losing a dual meet, won the 1965 EIWA championship at 130 pounds, and as a senior placed third at 123 pounds at the NCAA championships to become an All-American. He captained the 1966 team that finished tenth in the nation.
He graduated with the Class of 1966 and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, then completed the Army’s Airborne and Ranger Schools. In 1968 he served in Vietnam as a platoon leader and company commander with the 4th Infantry Division, and was awarded the Bronze Star. He resigned his commission as a captain after four years as an officer.
His class paid heavily. As Bob’s own record puts it, one in every twenty members of West Point’s Class of 1966 was killed in Vietnam, and one in six was wounded.
Chapter three
The long road back.
Coming home was its own campaign. Bob married Bobbi in 1966; she taught at Britt, and together they raised eight children. He spent thirteen years as a science and math teacher and coach, and forty years in sales and marketing. He has lived with PTSD for some fifty years and has spoken about it plainly.
From 1989 to 1998 he spoke professionally to more than 2,500 audiences — schools, colleges, corporations, military bases, parents’ meetings and prisons. His biography, Fighting Back, by Mike Chapman, is in its sixth printing.
In January 2018 he went back to Vietnam with four of his sons. In September 2026, West Point inducted him into the Army West Point Sports Hall of Fame.
At a glance
The short version.
- Raised
- Britt, Iowa
- State titles
- Four, 1959 – 1962 — Iowa’s first four-timer
- West Point
- Class of 1966 · B.S., Engineering
- College wrestling
- Army captain · 1965 EIWA champion · 1966 NCAA All-American
- Service
- 4th Infantry Division, Vietnam, 1968 · Bronze Star · Captain
- Family
- Married to Bobbi · eight children
- Work
- Teacher and coach, 13 years · sales and marketing, 40 years
- Biography
- Fighting Back, by Mike Chapman
- Halls of fame
- Iowa Wrestling (2005) · Army West Point Sports (2026)
Timeline
The long road forward.
From a small town in Iowa to West Point, Vietnam, and back again.
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Britt, IowaBoyhood
A hard start in a small town
Bob grew up in Britt, in north-central Iowa. By his own account it was a dysfunctional household, and wrestling became the place where effort was answered fairly. He was an Eagle Scout with the Britt troop.
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1959 – 1962Britt High School
The first to win four
He won Iowa state titles at 95, 103, 112 and 120 pounds, becoming the first four-time state champion in Iowa high school wrestling history. The Des Moines Register later named it one of the top 100 sports moments in Iowa in a century.
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1962 – 1966West Point
Captain of Army wrestling
At the United States Military Academy he went four years without losing a dual meet, won the 1965 EIWA title at 130 pounds, and placed third at 123 pounds at the 1966 NCAA championships to earn All-American honors. He captained the 1966 team that finished tenth in the nation, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.
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Army yearsFrom 1966
Airborne, Ranger, Vietnam
Commissioned with the Class of 1966, he completed Airborne and Ranger Schools and in 1968 served in Vietnam as a platoon leader and company commander with the 4th Infantry Division. He was awarded the Bronze Star and left the Army as a captain after four years as an officer.
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After the warFamily and work
The longer fight
Bob and his wife Bobbi, a former teacher at Britt, raised eight children. He taught science and math and coached for thirteen years, then spent four decades in sales and marketing. He has spoken openly about living with PTSD for some fifty years.
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1989 – 1998Speaking
More than 2,500 audiences
From 1989 to 1998 he spoke professionally to schools, colleges, corporations, military bases, parents’ meetings and prisons — more than 2,500 audiences.
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January 2018Return
Back to Vietnam
Fifty years after his tour, he returned to Vietnam with four of his sons.
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September 2026West Point
Army West Point Sports Hall of Fame
He was inducted with the Class of 2026 — seven members, the hall’s twenty-second class — at a gala in Eisenhower Hall on September 11, 2026.
Before you write
Questions people ask most.
How do I order a copy of the book?
Send a note through the contact form with your name and where you would like the copy sent. Bob reads every request himself and follows up with the details, including signed copies on request.
What can I write to Bob about?
Anything connected to the book, his wrestling career, West Point, his service in Vietnam, or the 2026 Army West Point Sports Hall of Fame induction.
How long does a reply take?
Usually within a few business days. Bob answers personally, so a little patience is appreciated.
May I use Bob’s story in an article or a school project?
Often, yes. Send a short description of the project and your deadline, and Bob will respond directly.
Contact
Bob’s story, in a book. Bob himself, by mail.
Ask about a copy of Fighting Back, or write with a question about his story.