Barry Davis

September 17, 1961 - Present

At a program where intensity is not just encouraged, but expected, Barry Davis distinguished himself at the highest level.

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Davis won three state championships for Prairie High School and compiled a record of 102-6-1, capturing the attention of legendary University of Iowa Coach Dan Gable who invited him to continue his career as a Hawkeye.

Davis quickly proved himself, earning All-America honors and a Big Ten Conference championship as a freshman. A year later, he stood atop the podium as an NCAA champion. By the time he graduated, he had won four Big Ten titles and three NCAA crowns and was Iowa's winningest wrestler ever with a career record of 162-9-1. His records for most wins in a career and wins in a season (46 in 1982) still stand.

The teams he competed on at Iowa were equally dominant, winning Big Ten championships and NCAA team titles in each of Davis' four years. He is one of only nine wrestlers in history to win four Big Ten titles and one of only two to win the prestigious Big Ten Athlete of the Year. At the 1985 NCAA tournament, Davis was named the Outstanding Wrestler.

While many athletes dream of Olympic glory after college, Davis lived his dream while still attending the University of Iowa. He redshirted during the 1984 season so that he could attempt to make the U.S. national team that would compete in the Olympic Games. It paid off. In the Los Angeles Olympics, Davis won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at 125.5 pounds. He followed that with two more silver medals in the 1986 and 1987 World Championships, and a berth on the 1988 Olympic Team.

In 13 years as head coach at the University of Wisconsin, Davis has compiled an overall record of 141-96-9 and coached 18 wrestlers to All-American honors and two to NCAA titles.

For his intense and relentless pursuit of excellence in the sport of wrestling, Barry Davis is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Awards:

Year
2007
Award
Distinguished Member
Chapter/Region
National
Year
2003
Award
Glen Brand Inductee
Chapter/Region
National

All American Awards:

Season
1985
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
126
Place
1
Season
1983
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
126
Place
1
Season
1982
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
118
Place
1
Season
1981
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
118
Place
7

College Season Records:

Season
1985
School
Iowa
Class
Senior
Bouts
44
Wins
43
Losses
1
Ties
0
Falls
14
Win PCT.
97.73
Place
1st
Season
1983
School
Iowa
Class
Junior
Bouts
40
Wins
38
Losses
1
Ties
1
Falls
9
Win PCT.
95
Place
1st
Season
1982
School
Iowa
Class
Sophomore
Bouts
47
Wins
46
Losses
1
Ties
0
Falls
11
Win PCT.
97.87
Place
1st
Season
1981
School
Iowa
Class
Freshman
Bouts
41
Wins
35
Losses
6
Ties
0
Falls
4
Win PCT.
85.37
Place
7th
Season
Career
Bouts
172
Wins
162
Losses
9
Ties
1
Falls
38
Win PCT.
94.19

All Coaching Dual Records:

Season
2011
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
18
Wins
11
Losses
6
Ties
1
Win PCT.
61.11
Season
2010
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
18
Wins
9
Losses
9
Ties
0
Win PCT.
50
Season
2009
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
17
Wins
9
Losses
8
Ties
0
Win PCT.
52.94
Season
2008
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
19
Wins
14
Losses
4
Ties
1
Win PCT.
73.68
Season
2007
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
18
Losses
3
Ties
0
Win PCT.
85.71
Season
2006
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
15
Wins
9
Losses
5
Ties
1
Win PCT.
60
Season
2005
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
16
Wins
11
Losses
3
Ties
2
Win PCT.
68.75
Season
2004
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
23
Wins
17
Losses
6
Ties
0
Win PCT.
73.91
Season
2003
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
16
Wins
9
Losses
7
Ties
0
Win PCT.
56.25
Season
2002
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
11
Losses
10
Ties
0
Win PCT.
52.38
Season
2001
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
10
Losses
10
Ties
1
Win PCT.
47.62
Season
2000
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
17
Wins
11
Losses
5
Ties
1
Win PCT.
64.71
Season
1999
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
17
Wins
4
Losses
12
Ties
1
Win PCT.
23.53
Season
1998
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
17
Wins
8
Losses
9
Ties
0
Win PCT.
47.06
Season
1997
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
19
Wins
7
Losses
11
Ties
1
Win PCT.
36.84
Season
1996
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
15
Wins
10
Losses
5
Ties
0
Win PCT.
66.67
Season
1995
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
13
Wins
8
Losses
4
Ties
1
Win PCT.
61.54
Season
1994
School
Wisconsin
Division
Division I
Duals
14
Wins
7
Losses
6
Ties
1
Win PCT.
50
Season
Career
Duals
317
Wins
183
Losses
123
Ties
11
Win PCT.
57.73

All Rankings:

Season
1985
Rank Date
03/14/1985
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1985
Rank Date
02/25/1985
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1985
Rank Date
02/11/1985
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1985
Rank Date
01/21/1985
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1985
Rank Date
12/31/1984
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1985
Rank Date
12/10/1984
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1985
Rank Date
11/19/1984
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
02/14/1983
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
03/10/1983
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
02/28/1983
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
01/31/1983
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
01/17/1983
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
12/30/1982
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
12/13/1982
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1983
Rank Date
11/29/1982
Weight
126
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1982
Rank Date
12/14/1981
Weight
118
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1982
Rank Date
03/13/1982
Weight
118
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1982
Rank Date
02/27/1982
Weight
118
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1982
Rank Date
02/15/1982
Weight
118
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1982
Rank Date
12/31/1981
Weight
118
Rank
1
School
Iowa

Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations