William Scherr

July 27, 1961 - Present

A collegiate champion for the University of Nebraska, Bill Scherr earned five consecutive world-class medals, including a World championship in 1985 and an Olympic bronze in 1988.

Scherr was a two-time South Dakota champion at Mobridge High School and won the Junior Nationals in 1980. He was a three-time All-American at Nebraska, with a record of 133-8, and won the NCAA crown in 1984 at 190 pounds, just a few minutes after his twin brother, Jim, had won at 177.

Competing for the Sunkist Kids, Bill won six national championships in Freestyle and one in Greco-Roman. After winning the gold medal in the Freestyle Worlds at 198 pounds, he moved up to 220, primarily because Jim had outgrown the 180.5-pound limit.

Bill won silver medals in the 1986 and 1989 Worlds, bronze medals in the 1987 Worlds and 1988 Olympics. He won a gold medal in the Pan American Games in 1987 and was World Grand Champion in 1989. Jim was his teammate along most of that stretch, winning two silvers and a bronze in the Worlds, a bronze in the Pan Am Games and fifth place in the 1988 Olympics.

One of Bill's most spectacular and meaningful triumphs came in the Goodwill Games of 1990. Trailing Andrei Golovko 1-0 in the closing seconds, Scherr unleashed a winning two-point throw just as time expired to win the gold medal and give the USA a momentous victory over the Soviet Union.

That result, before a roaring, sellout crowd at the University of Washington, spurred the Seattle media to vote wrestling the No. 1 attraction among the 33 sports, and the wrestling finals the most spectacular event of the entire Goodwill Games.

As a wrestler who was best in the nation, then best in the world, William Scherr is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Awards:

Year
1998
Award
Distinguished Member
Chapter/Region
National

All American Awards:

Season
1984
School
Nebraska
Tournament
Division I
Weight
190
Place
1
Season
1983
School
Nebraska
Tournament
Division I
Weight
190
Place
3
Season
1982
School
Nebraska
Tournament
Division I
Weight
190
Place
4

College Season Records:

Season
1984
School
Nebraska
Class
Senior
Bouts
37
Wins
36
Losses
1
Ties
0
Falls
0
Win PCT.
97.3
Place
1st
Season
1983
School
Nebraska
Class
Junior
Bouts
42
Wins
38
Losses
4
Ties
0
Falls
0
Win PCT.
90.48
Place
3rd
Season
1982
School
Nebraska
Class
Sophomore
Bouts
42
Wins
37
Losses
5
Ties
0
Falls
0
Win PCT.
88.1
Place
4th
Season
1981
School
Nebraska
Class
Freshman
Bouts
30
Wins
22
Losses
8
Ties
0
Falls
0
Win PCT.
73.33
Place
DNW
Season
Career
Bouts
151
Wins
133
Losses
18
Ties
0
Falls
0
Win PCT.
88.08

All Rankings:

Season
1984
Rank Date
01/16/1984
Weight
190
Rank
1
School
Nebraska
Season
1984
Rank Date
01/30/1984
Weight
190
Rank
1
School
Nebraska
Season
1984
Rank Date
02/13/1984
Weight
190
Rank
1
School
Nebraska
Season
1984
Rank Date
02/27/1984
Weight
190
Rank
1
School
Nebraska
Season
1984
Rank Date
03/08/1984
Weight
190
Rank
1
School
Nebraska

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