Whether you know him as Bob, Mr. Wunderlick, Coach Wunderlick, or – as he has been affectionately dubbed by former football players – Wunder Bob, most students or teachers at Jesuit have at some point interacted with the football coach and English teacher.
A Dallas native, Wunderlick attended Christ the King School and graduated from Jesuit in 1984. While attending Jesuit, he played four years of football, 2 years of basketball, and spent 1 year running track for the Rangers. After high school, he attended Holy Cross in Massachusetts, where he received four more years of a Catholic education and was a member of the rugby team for 3 years. Before he knew it, Wunderlick was out of college and looking for a job.
“After graduating from college in 1988,” he says, “I decided I wanted to teach and coach at the high school level. I applied to many schools and was offered a full-time job at Jesuit in 1990.” Wunderlick was 
actually hired by Jesuit and began coaching football in 1989, but it wasn’t until the next year that he began to teach as well. “When I decided I wanted to teach and coach, Jesuit was always a dream job,” he states.
Coach Wunderlick has pretty much done it all for Jesuit athletics, coaching freshman basketball for 6 years, junior varsity baseball for 3 years, junior varsity football for 6 years, varsity football for 16 years, and in 2011, he coached his first year of freshman football. “I love coaching, and I love coaching high school athletes,” says Wunderlick. “Coaching at Jesuit is challenging, but I have loved every minute of it.” Wunderlick describes Jesuit athletes as smart, hardworking kids who want to compete at the highest level, and he loves watching a team develop and grow together.
Marty Murad ’12 says, “I’ll always remember what he did for me. He was like a father to us and always put others before himself.”
Most people who have been involved with Jesuit athletics the past 5-10 years have primarily known Wunderlick as the Rangers’ lovable head football coach. He held that position for 14 years, from 1997 to 2010.
His teams at Jesuit have always been known for their hard work, sportsmanship, and their ability to achieve what is beyond most people’s expectations for them. Murad continues, “He was a great leader for us.”
But in 2011, Wunderlick decided it was time for a change in his life, and the life of Jesuit football. He stepped down from the position of head varsity football coach to coach the freshman football team.
When asked about the transition, Wunderlick said, “It was very easy and was exactly what I wanted at this time in my life. While I loved being the head coach,” he continued, “I was ready to administer less. I loved this past season. I had a blast.” Gavin McClure ’15, who played for Wunderlick on the freshman team this year, defined Wunderlick as “A great man, and a great coach.”
Wunderlick admits he had a blast coaching varsity too, but he enjoyed seeing his good friend Brandon Hickman grow into his current role as the leader of the varsity team. Hickman, after leading the Rangers to the 5A playoffs in the 2011-12 season, had this to say about Wunderlick, his co-worker for 7 years and friend for over 11: “Bob and I have many great memories coaching together,r and he has played a major role in my coaching career.”
Hickman was hired by Jesuit in 2001, and he coached the offensive line at Jesuit for four years. In 2006, he left Jesuit to pursue other coaching jobs before being hired here again in 2010. “He and I kept in close touch,” says Hickman, “and if he hadn’t given me the opportunity to coach here 11 years ago, I don’t know where I would be. If I ever need advice he is there with support or ideas. He still makes an impact on my life today.” Hickman praises Wunderlick’s decision to take on the freshman coaching job saying, “Not many former head coaches would do that. It just shows the unbelievable character he has.”
Hays Myers ’11, who played four years of Jesuit football with two years under Coach Wunderlick on the varsity squad describes Wunderlick as “a fun coach to play for that could “always get players to want to play for him, rather than feeling like they had to. He taught me about how life was more than football, which was why he always tried to have fun.”
One of Coach Wnunderlick’s longest tenured co-workers, Steve Koch, describes Wunderlick as “a creative, hardworking, smart coach who is extremely competitive.” His fire for Jesuit athletics has helped motivate Koch, as well, according to the athletic director of 18 years. “He loves what he does, and his passion rubs off on his athletes,” says Koch, “He loves this school and what it represents more than anyone I know.”
Despite all of his success as a coach, Wunderlick has taught some more important lessons to students at Jesuit, lessons in the classroom. When he was offered a full time job in 1990, Wunderlick began his career teaching freshman English. He continued teaching freshmen for 21 years. This past year he made another change. He now teaches four sections of junior English, and, he says, “I am very happy doing what I am doing.”
Wunderlick has brought many of his coaching strategies into the classroom, using many of the same tricks to teach that he uses on the practice field. “I believe teaching and coaching are very similar,” 
Wunderlick states. “With both, you teach, drill, practice, and challenge the kid and then watch them perform.”
In both teaching and coaching, Wunderlick believes, the role of the teacher or coach is the same. They must push, challenge, and help the student or athlete gain confidence as they achieve success. “I try to do all of that,” says Wunderlick. The two also have their differences though, the biggest of which Wunderlick says is that “In sports, you perform in front of a large, vocal audience, and you have to deal with the physical aspect of practice and games. In the classroom, the games are more mental.”
There aren’t many people at Jesuit who can boast as expansive a resume as can Wunderlick. He has been everywhere and back during his time at Jesuit and we can only hope that he continues for all our current and future students. According to Steve Koch, he “has been a coach, a friend, and an example of an Ignatian leader to many, many student-athletes through the years.”
To many, he’s “coach,” to others he is “Mr. Wunderlick,” and to all he comes into contact with, he is a loving and inspirational figure. But above all of that, at the end of the day, Wunderlick is a mentor, and a good one, who instills Jesuit values into all of his athletes and teachers while, at the same time, “keeping it fun,” as he says.
