Rob Gibbs Scholarship Endowment

Winter 2026 - Coach Jason Welch:  (*DRAFT IN PROGRESS)

​

A generous gift by Rob Gibbs (alumnus class of 1977) will create a new scholarship endowment to support our wrestling program!

 

I’m going to write about Rob, his passion for SF State wrestling, and his commitment to our program below. But first, here is the information if you would like to make a donation to support the Rob Gibbs Wrestling Scholarship Endowment. Please consider joining him in support of SF State Wrestling!

 

• Give online directly to the endowment with this unique link

  • https://give.sfsu.edu/SFSURWGES

• Give by check

  • Please write your check to “SF State Foundation” Memo: Robert W. Gibbs Wrestling Endowed Scholarship

  • Mail to: ATTN: David Fierberg, SF State, 1600 Holloway Avenue, ADM154C, San Francisco CA 94132

• If you have any questions about the fund or endowed scholarships, please reach out to my colleague David Fierberg, our Executive Director of Development for Athletics, at dfierberg@sfsu.edu 

   

Now - to the meat of my newsletter! I’d like to take a moment to thank Rob not just for this gift, but for his years of support for our program and mentorship for myself as I took the helm at SF State….

 

Please read below! 

​

Over the past 8 years or so since I’ve taken the helm at SF State, Rob has been a force — the driving force — in pushing our program forward. He has also become a close confidant and mentor of mine during my time at State.

 

Rob attended SFSU from 1972-1977, earning a BA in Political Science. During his time as a Gator, he wrestled under legendary coach Allen Abraham. While he was actively training and competing as an athlete, he was also the player–coach guy who was able to help Allen with running the program off the mat.

 

On that note– Rob was also very active in student government at SF State. He has urged me over the years to expand the wrestling program’s circle from just-the-mat, to across campus over the years. This turned out to be incredibly important and insightful. We saw that effort blossom recently, as the students voted last Spring to increase the student fee to support athletics and our wrestling program. This was largely helped by our current wrestlers being involved in student groups/government, and making sure that we have a presence outside of Athletics. Just one example of many of how Rob has steered the ship in the right direction!

 

Rob has remained engaged with university and supported our wrestling program for over 40 years. He currently serves as the President of the San Francisco Wrestling Club / Regional Training Center; and he is truly the center-point of alumni engagement.

 

On a personal note, I’m extremely grateful to Rob. As a very young coach taking over the program in 2017, I was in need of a strong mentor as well as someone to introduce me to the gigantic, strong, and passionate alumni group. Now, eight years later, Rob still serves as a strong mentor for me. It’s been a wild ride and Rob has been there for me personally and professionally as we navigated many obstacles as a program.

 

Again and truly — I’m extremely grateful for Rob’s commitment and his guidance as we steer the ship into the next era. And, I’m very-very happy to be able to memorialize that commitment with the Rob Gibbs Wrestling endowment.

 

Thank you Rob!! Let’s keep this thing rolling!

 

GO GATORS!

 

Jason Welch

Head Wrestling Coach

SF State Wrestling