The History of the Dundee Highlanders

The Dundee Highlanders Wrestling Team was founded by Gene C Peters in 1954. The Highlanders started out as a boxing team for troubled kids in the Dundee area. The team was sanctioned through the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). They would participate in state wide tournaments including the Chicago Golden Glove Championship.

In 1957 the team adopted the sport of wrestling. Wrestling was becoming a prominent sport, and boxing was starting to fade out. Coach Peters believed that any kid who would come to practice deserved to wrestle in the weekend tournaments. He would even pay for tournaments out of his own pocket if the family could not afford it. He firmly believed that NO ONE STAYED BEHIND!

In 1972, the Highlanders left the AAU and became the 19th sanctioned team within the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF). The Dundee Highlanders are currently the oldest operating wrestling team in the state of Illinois. In 1987 Coach Gene Peters passed away leaving a legacy behind.

At that time, Assistant Coach Pete Rodriguez became the Head Coach of the Highlanders. Coach Pete grew up wrestling in the Dundee area and had been the Highlanders’ assistant coach since 1985. For 17 years, Coach Pete trained winners on the mat and in life. In 2006, Coach Pete stepped down as Head Coach of the Highlanders but remained a key figure in the team’s operations. Coach Pete has recently come back as a coach.

In 2006, Coach Mike Bondi became and is currently the Head Coach of the Dundee Highlanders. Coach Bondi grew up in the Dundee area and started wrestling for the Highlanders in 1983, when he was 5 years old. In 2003 he became the Highlanders’ assistant coach. To date he has produced 22 state qualifiers and 10 state medals.

We need your help!

Were you a member of the Dundee Highlanders Wrestling Team?  We are looking to expand this page and need your old photos and stories.  Please submit your stories and photos to info@dundeehighlanders.com.