124: Bob Wilber; Pro Player, Scout, Coach, General Manager And Public & Media Relations Director. Oh, Did We Forget To Mention Son Of 9-Year Major League Baseball Catcher, Del Wilber

Bob Wilber is from a large family where sports and baseball ruled the roost. Fortunate enough to have the guidance of his Major League Baseball playing father, loving mother and supportive/competitive siblings, Bob has lived a life full of adventure and love.

After earning his degree in TV/Radio Broadcasting from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, where he also played four years of baseball for a team that competed in two NCAA Division II World Series championships, Bob Wilber was signed to a free agent contract by the Detroit Tigers in 1978. He played parts of two seasons of minor league baseball with the Tigers, followed by a single season with an Oakland A’s farm club, before joining the Toronto Blue Jays as a Scouting Supervisor and Minor League Coach. 

After four years with the Blue Jays, he entered the sports marketing arena, initially in the sports apparel business with Converse Shoes, and then joined his brother Del at Del Wilber + Associates, managing major sponsorships for IBM, Chrysler, Black & Decker, and other corporate clients, while also developing new sponsorships for USA Baseball, US Rowing, and the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). He was named Vice President of the St. Louis Storm franchise in the MISL in 1989, and later was General Manager of the Kansas City Attack indoor soccer club.

He entered the racing world when he was selected to be the General Manager at Heartland Park, a multi-purpose racing facility in Topeka, Kansas, and soon found his way into management roles at the team level. From 1997 to 2008 he was the Team Manager for Funny Car driver Del Worsham and since 2009 has held the same position for Tim Wilkerson.

Bob handles the team’s management needs and liaison with sponsors and he also represents the organization in terms of both public and media relations. As part of his PR duties, he has written a popular blog at NHRA.com for the last six years. With nearly 10,000 regular readers around the world, it is regarded as the most widely followed blog in the sport of professional drag racing.