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FAN OF THE YEAR We salute the fan among fans. They bring a charismatic and infectious enthusiasm to the crowd, to the coaches and especially to the wrestlers. They have a passion for competition, passion for the sport and a never-ending passion for River Falls wrestling. John "Johnny" Cudd 2011 Board President Carlos Figi presented the distinction of fan of the year to John (Johnny) Cudd. Johnny is an individual who has been sitting in the stands for almost 50 years. Johnny has been watching and cheering on the wildcat wrestling team that often had members of his family amongst the contingent. Johnny’s sons, grandsons, nephews and countless others often hear words of encouragement and a gentle touch to the shoulder. A perennial figure at our hosted tournaments and many area events as well; Johnny is a fan among fans. His memory banks are filled with countless stories of matches and wrestlers both recent and from decades ago. During the state tournament trips, many parents and fans had the opportunity to have a cup of coffee with Johnny as he was usually one of the first ready for breakfast – ready to roll in his River Falls Wrestling gear as far as the eye could see. For those so fortunate, he was always willing to share his thoughts and insight to many of the wrestlers and the matches that we would all anticipate that day. Although, nowadays his cheering is a bit quieter, and often expressed with a few words of encouragement before or after a match, a tap on the shoulder, a nod or just a smile and a wave to a passing wrestler. Both to parents as well as wrestlers, these moments are priceless. To many wrestlers, Johnny’s type of cheering can mean more than the loud cheers that fill the gym. |  |
| Gene "Geno" Mulhullam 2009 Gene Mulhullam has followed and supported River Falls Wrestling for many years. He loves the sport and has put on many miles attending various wrestling events. Thank you Gene for your dedication and continued support! Gene has traveled on numerous River Falls wrestling trips across the state, including many of the longer charter bus trips.
It's sometimes tough for parents to get to all the events their kids compete in, but Gene has found time to, not only support his grandsons, but support the team as a whole. Gene is always down at the state tournament in Madison every year...and when asked if he was getting tired of it...his reply was "No, I simply enjoy watching wrestling, even if my 'kids' are not wrestling.
Gene (Geno) has always been interested in sports of all kinds. He attended Spring Valley High School...when he competed in football, basketball, track, choir, and band. If they would've had wrestling he would have done that too. In fact, when his family moved to Elmwood, Geno decided to stay in Spring Valley because Elmwood didn't have a football team. From the age of 15, Geno was self-supporting along with a busy school schedule. He also had a girlfriend at the time. He didn't have time to get into any trouble! Geno has also been active, interest, dedicated, and committed to supporting his children and grandchildren in their activities. He never misses the opportunity to go watch a game or listen to a concert. He enjoys watching all of the young men and women learn and grow! |  |
Paul "Pauly" Cudd, Jr 2007 Pauly first became involved with wrestling in 1967 during his freshman year as member of the River Falls high school wrestling team. Although his first year on the team was disappointing, the culmination of several years of hard work brought him a first place finish in the 1971 Wisconsin state wrestling tournament at 185 lbs and the first state wrestling title for River Falls.
His wrestling career continued while attending UWRF under the direction of Byron James. Pauly became a WSUC conference champion in 1974. Seeing a need to expand the local wrestling involvement, Pauly (along with Dave Ahmdahl and DeWayne Benedict) got involved with the beginning of River Falls youth wrestling - which later became the River Falls Youth Wrestling Club in 1977.
From 1987-1990 Pauly was an assistant wrestling coach at RFHS for Gary Nelson and DeWayne Benedict. All of Pauly’s children were involved with the wrestling program. Jennifer, Class of 1990, was a cheerleader at RFHS and went on to coach the high school cheer program while attending UWRF. Josh, RFHS Class of 1993, qualified for the state tournament his junior year. He ended his high school wrestling career with a 26-1 record, missing a second trip to the state tournament due to an injury sustained at the sectional tournament. Joe, RFHS Class of 1998, qualified for the state tournament as a sophomore at 171 lbs. He boasted a two year record of 41-1 and 41-0 his junior and senior year, plus two Division 1 state championships at 275 lbs. Pauly and Joe became the first father-son Wisconsin state wrestling champions.
Pauly’s involvement with wrestling continues today as commentator for some of the high school matches and tournaments. The first match he and Dave Black covered was in 1991. Anyone who has been to an event with Paully, quickly recognizes his voice from one end of the gym to the other. Many wrestlers mention that in the heat of the competition while wrestling, Pauly's is only voice that they can hear or recognize from the crowd.  Pauly's Website - Glass by Pauly
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