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Wikipedia

John Smith (American wrestler)

January 01, 1970

This article is about the American Olympic wrestler. For the Zambian wrestler, see John Smith (Zambian wrestler). For the American professional wrestler, see J.T. Smith (wrestler).

John William Smith (born August 9, 1965)[1] is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Smith was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, and a six-time world level champion with two Olympic Championships and four World Wrestling Championships. Smith is the only American wrestler ever to win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor. At the end of his competitive career, Smith had won more World and Olympic gold medals in wrestling than any other American. Smith was widely known for his low single leg takedown,[2][3] and is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time.[4][5][6]

John Smith
Personal information
Full nameJohn William Smith
Nationality United States
BornAugust 9, 1965 (1965-08-09) (age 58)
Del City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Weight class62 kg
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
ClubSunkist Kids Wrestling Club
TeamUSA
Medal record

Wrestling career edit

High School edit

Smith wrestled at Del City High School in Del City, Oklahoma. While in high school Smith had a 105–5 record, and was a two-time Oklahoma state champion.[7]

College edit

Smith competed collegiately at Oklahoma State University. While at Oklahoma State University, Smith's college career record was 154-7-2. At the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Smith was a three-time national finalist and a two-time national champion. After losing in the 1985 finals to future US House representative Jim Jordan, he finished his college career with 90 consecutive victories.

Senior level edit

Beginning in his teenage years, Smith competed internationally in freestyle wrestling. Highlights of his career include four UWW World gold medals, and two Olympic gold medals. At the Senior level, his international freestyle wrestling record was 100–5. He is the only American wrestler to ever win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor.[8]

Coaching career edit

Smith became the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State University in 1991. During his tenure, Oklahoma State University won five NCAA Division I national team titles, with titles coming in 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. As of 2022, his overall dual meet record was 490-73-6.[9] He had also coached 33 NCAA Division I individual national champions, and coached his wrestlers to 152 All-American honors. Smith has brought 21 team conference titles and 129 individual conference championships to Stillwater as a coach, as well. On April 11, 2024 he announced his retirement and departure from OSU. [8]

Awards and honors edit

1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985

Other honors edit

Family edit

Smith's older brother Lee Roy Smith and younger brother Pat Smith are NCAA Division I wrestling national champions, with Pat being the sport's first ever four-time NCAA national champion. Smith's youngest brother, Mark, was also a successful NCAA Division I wrestler, having placed in the top five nationally three times. Smith's nephews Mark Perry and Chris Perry are also NCAA Division I national champions. His son, Joe Smith, earned NCAA All-American honors twice while wrestling at Oklahoma State under his coaching.[12] Another nephew of Smith, J. T. Realmuto, is a Major League Baseball player.[13]

See also edit

Bibliography edit

  • Dellinger, Bob & Doris. 1994. The Cowboys Ride Again. Oklahoma Bylines Inc. ISBN 978-1-882336-04-3
  • Zavoral, Nolan. 1997. A Season on the Mat. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-84787-0
  • Hammond, Jairus K. 2005. The History of Collegiate Wrestling. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. ISBN 978-0-9765064-0-9
  • Moffat, James V. 2007. Wrestlers At The Trials. Exit Zero Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9799051-0-0
  • Parrish, Kim D. 2007. Cowboy Up. Oklahoma Heritage Association. ISBN 978-1-885596-61-1

References edit

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Brownlee, Shannon. (March 14, 1988). How Low Can You Get?. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ^ History Of The Low Single Leg and Overlooking the Legend who Invented it – John Smith. bjjee.com. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  4. ^ John Smith Named Greatest American Wrestler of All Time. okstate.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Steen, Alex. (September 3, 2016). Top 10 Greatest Olympic Wrestlers of All Time - Men's Freestyle. The Open Mat. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  6. ^ Binoy, Allan. (July 26, 2021). Top 5 American Wrestlers to Ever Compete at the Olympics. Essentially Sports. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Wojciehowski, Gene. (July 19, 1992). Wrestling With Himself : Olympic Champion John Smith Blocks Out Everything Else, Then Beats Everyone Else. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "John Smith - 2018-19 Wrestling Coaching Staff - Oklahoma State University". okstate.com. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  9. ^ "John Smith". okstate.com.
  10. ^ "Class of 1997". April 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Smith, John W. | 2020".
  12. ^ "Joe Smith - 2019-20 - Wrestling - Oklahoma State University Athletics". Okstate.com. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Playing first base? That's nothing for J.T. Realmuto, former QB/power forward/shortstop/wrestler - South Florida Sun Sentinel - South Florida Sun-Sentinel".

External links edit

  • Collegiate Record – Wrestler
  • Collegiate Record – Coach

January 01, 1970
john, smith, american, wrestler, this, article, about, american, olympic, wrestler, zambian, wrestler, john, smith, zambian, wrestler, american, professional, wrestler, smith, wrestler, john, william, smith, born, august, 1965, american, folkstyle, freestyle, . This article is about the American Olympic wrestler For the Zambian wrestler see John Smith Zambian wrestler For the American professional wrestler see J T Smith wrestler John William Smith born August 9 1965 1 is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach Smith was a two time NCAA Division I national champion and a six time world level champion with two Olympic Championships and four World Wrestling Championships Smith is the only American wrestler ever to win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor At the end of his competitive career Smith had won more World and Olympic gold medals in wrestling than any other American Smith was widely known for his low single leg takedown 2 3 and is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time 4 5 6 John SmithPersonal informationFull nameJohn William SmithNationality United StatesBornAugust 9 1965 1965 08 09 age 58 Del City Oklahoma U S Height5 ft 7 in 170 cm Weight62 kg 137 lb SportCountryUnited StatesSportWrestlingWeight class62 kgEvent s Freestyle and FolkstyleClubSunkist Kids Wrestling ClubTeamUSAMedal record Men s freestyle wrestling Representing the United States Olympic Games 1988 Seoul 62 kg 1992 Barcelona 62 kg World Championships 1987 Clermont Ferrand 62 kg 1989 Martigny 62 kg 1990 Tokyo 62 kg 1991 Varna 62 kg Goodwill Games 1986 Moscow 62 kg 1990 Seattle 62 kg Pan American Games 1987 Indianapolis 62 kg 1991 Havana 62 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships 1987 College Park 134 lb 1988 Ames 134 lb 1985 Oklahoma City 134 lb Contents 1 Wrestling career 1 1 High School 1 2 College 1 3 Senior level 2 Coaching career 3 Awards and honors 3 1 Other honors 4 Family 5 See also 6 Bibliography 7 References 8 External linksWrestling career editHigh School edit Smith wrestled at Del City High School in Del City Oklahoma While in high school Smith had a 105 5 record and was a two time Oklahoma state champion 7 College edit Smith competed collegiately at Oklahoma State University While at Oklahoma State University Smith s college career record was 154 7 2 At the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Smith was a three time national finalist and a two time national champion After losing in the 1985 finals to future US House representative Jim Jordan he finished his college career with 90 consecutive victories Senior level edit Beginning in his teenage years Smith competed internationally in freestyle wrestling Highlights of his career include four UWW World gold medals and two Olympic gold medals At the Senior level his international freestyle wrestling record was 100 5 He is the only American wrestler to ever win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor 8 Coaching career editSmith became the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State University in 1991 During his tenure Oklahoma State University won five NCAA Division I national team titles with titles coming in 1994 2003 2004 2005 and 2006 As of 2022 his overall dual meet record was 490 73 6 9 He had also coached 33 NCAA Division I individual national champions and coached his wrestlers to 152 All American honors Smith has brought 21 team conference titles and 129 individual conference championships to Stillwater as a coach as well On April 11 2024 he announced his retirement and departure from OSU 8 Awards and honors edit1992 nbsp Summer Olympics 1991 nbsp World Wrestling Championships nbsp Pan American Games nbsp Pan American Championships 1990 nbsp World Wrestling Championships nbsp 1990 Goodwill Games wrestling tournament nbsp Grand Masters of Olympic Wrestling UWW Master of Technique award winner Amateur Athletic Union James E Sullivan Award winner 1989 nbsp World Wrestling Championships 1988 nbsp Summer Olympics nbsp NCAA Division I nbsp Big Eight Conference 1987 nbsp World Wrestling Championships nbsp Pan American Games nbsp Pan American Championships nbsp NCAA Division I nbsp Big Eight Conference 1986 nbsp Goodwill Games 1985 nbsp NCAA Division I nbsp Big Eight Conference Other honors edit Smith was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame with the class of 1997 10 In 2020 Smith was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame 11 The high school Smith graduated from Del City High School in Oklahoma named its field house after him Smith has a wrestling move named after him the John Smith low single Family editSmith s older brother Lee Roy Smith and younger brother Pat Smith are NCAA Division I wrestling national champions with Pat being the sport s first ever four time NCAA national champion Smith s youngest brother Mark was also a successful NCAA Division I wrestler having placed in the top five nationally three times Smith s nephews Mark Perry and Chris Perry are also NCAA Division I national champions His son Joe Smith earned NCAA All American honors twice while wrestling at Oklahoma State under his coaching 12 Another nephew of Smith J T Realmuto is a Major League Baseball player 13 See also editList of Oklahoma State University OlympiansBibliography editDellinger Bob amp Doris 1994 The Cowboys Ride Again Oklahoma Bylines Inc ISBN 978 1 882336 04 3 Zavoral Nolan 1997 A Season on the Mat Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 0 684 84787 0 Hammond Jairus K 2005 The History of Collegiate Wrestling National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum ISBN 978 0 9765064 0 9 Moffat James V 2007 Wrestlers At The Trials Exit Zero Publishing ISBN 978 0 9799051 0 0 Parrish Kim D 2007 Cowboy Up Oklahoma Heritage Association ISBN 978 1 885596 61 1References edit Evans Hilary Gjerde Arild Heijmans Jeroen Mallon Bill et al John Smith Olympics at Sports Reference com Sports Reference LLC Archived from the original on December 4 2016 Brownlee Shannon March 14 1988 How Low Can You Get Sports Illustrated Retrieved July 17 2022 History Of The Low Single Leg and Overlooking the Legend who Invented it John Smith bjjee com Retrieved September 23 2022 John Smith Named Greatest American Wrestler of All Time okstate com Retrieved July 17 2022 Steen Alex September 3 2016 Top 10 Greatest Olympic Wrestlers of All Time Men s Freestyle The Open Mat Retrieved July 17 2022 Binoy Allan July 26 2021 Top 5 American Wrestlers to Ever Compete at the Olympics Essentially Sports Retrieved September 23 2022 Wojciehowski Gene July 19 1992 Wrestling With Himself Olympic Champion John Smith Blocks Out Everything Else Then Beats Everyone Else Los Angeles Times Retrieved September 17 2022 a b John Smith 2018 19 Wrestling Coaching Staff Oklahoma State University okstate com Retrieved June 7 2019 John Smith okstate com Class of 1997 April 8 2020 Smith John W 2020 Joe Smith 2019 20 Wrestling Oklahoma State University Athletics Okstate com Retrieved November 21 2021 Playing first base That s nothing for J T Realmuto former QB power forward shortstop wrestler South Florida Sun Sentinel South Florida Sun Sentinel External links editWrestling Hall of Fame Coach Wrestling Hall of Fame Wrestler Collegiate Record Wrestler Collegiate Record Coach John Smith Videos MatDaddy com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Smith American wrestler amp oldid 1219875131, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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