An All-America wrestler at Cortland, Robert Eddy ’82 moved to Georgia after graduation where he became an award-winning physical educator, wrestling coach and scholastic director of athletics.
Eddy, a native of Van Etten, N.Y., was an All-America wrestler and a National Honor Society member at Spencer-Van Etten High School. At Cortland, he wrestled under his mentor, Coach Vince Gonino, for whom he later served as assistant coach and assistant director for the 1982 NCAA Division III Wrestling Tournament.
Eddy won two SUNYAC titles, one New York State crown, and was an NCAA All-American as a senior. The two-time captain was both a Most Improved Wrestler and the Red Letter Award winner during his Cortland career.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cortland, a master’s degree in health and physical education from North Georgia College, and education leadership certification from the University of Alabama. His is completing his doctorate at Samford University in Alabama.
Eddy has taught physical education at Canton (Ga.) Elementary School, at Moore Elementary School in Waleska , Ga., at Etowah High School in Woodstock, Ga., and at Sequoyah High in Canton, Ga., where he also chaired the Physical Education Department and was assistant principal and athletics director. Between 2002-05, he was principal of Dean Rusk Middle School and, since 2005, has been the principal of Creekview High, both in Canton.
As a wrestling coach, he led Etowah High to a regional title and Sequoyah High to four regional and two Georgia state championships. He has a 186-41-1 overall record and has coached 20 state finalists. A five-time regional Coach of the Year, Eddy has twice been named the Georgia State AAAA Wrestling Coach of the Year and the USA Team Georgia State Coach of the Year. He was the 1999 National Wrestling Coaches Association State Coach of the Year.
The Teacher of the Year at Moore Elementary School in 1989, Eddy was the Georgia State AAAA Athletics Director of the Year in 2001. He has been inducted into the NYSPHSAA Section Four and the Cherokee County (Ga.) Sports Halls of Fame.
Eddy is a past chair of the Georgia State Games wrestling competition. He assisted with the wrestling venues at the 1996 Olympics and the 1995 Fila World Freestyle Championships both in Atlanta. He has been active in his community with the Hickory Flat Optimist Club, the Cherokee County March of Dimes Walk-a-thon, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Canton.
A former Cherokee County Recreation and Parks Authority board member, he currently serves on the Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Health and Physical Education Advisory Board.
Eddy and his wife, Yvette, have two sons: Aaron and Grant
