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African American Wrestling Experience
In some organized sports, by the beginning of the 20th Century, African Americans did find success. In 1908, John Baxter "Doc" Tayllor was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 4 x 400 medley during the London Games. But in the sport of wrestling, another 80 years would pass before a Black athlete stood atop the podium in Seoul with the gleaming gold medal around his neck.
While African Americans were winning track gold medals, boxing to world championships and forming baseball's Negro National League, black youngsters were denied the opportunity to learn even the basics of wrestling because of restrictions placed on them by state high school associations. It wasn't until 1949, 13 years after Jessie Owens flouted Adolph Hitler's theories of racial superiority, winning four gold medals in the Berlin Olympics, that a black athlete is known to have wrestled in the NCAA championships. Harold Henson, representing San Diego State, lost his only match, 7-3, to Don Meeker of Oklahoma State in the 136-pound quarterfinals. At the time, Jackie Robinson had already been playing for the major league's Brooklyn Dodgers for two years.
By the early 1950s, Blacks were allowed to participate in high school wrestling in most northern states. In 1954, Simon Roberts of Davenport, Iowa, became the first African American to win an Iowa high school championship, defeating Ron Gray, a two-time defending state champion, to win the title. In 1957 at the NCAA tournament, Roberts made history again when he won the 147-pound title over former high school nemesis Gray.
Without doubt, African American participation in wrestling has added not just to successes on the mat, but also has endowed a depth and richness of culture to mankind's oldest and greatest sport.
If you have a suggestion for our timeline, please email it to info@nwhof.org, including a photograph, if possible.
Here is a timeline of Black wrestling successes!
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2024 Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci
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2022 Jordan Burroughs
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2022 Tamyra Mensah-Stock
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2021 Record Five African-American NCAA Champions
Record five Black wrestlers are NCAA champions: Iowa State’s David Carr, Minnesota’s Gable Steveson and Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young, Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci.
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2021 Gable Steveson
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2021 Tamyra Mensah-Stock
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2019 Jordan Burroughs
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2019 J'den Cox
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2019 Tamyra Mensah-Stock
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2018 Kenny Monday
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2018 Jordan Burroughs
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2018 Tamyra Mensah-Stock
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2018 J'den Cox
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2018 Tamyra Mensah-Stock
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2017 Tamyra Mensah-Stock
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2017 Jordan Burroughs
Jordan Burroughs wins his fourth world championship and helps United States win first World Championship team title since 1995. Burroughs five gold medals (2016 Olympics and 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 World Championships) tie him with Bruce Baumgartner and Adeline Gray for second-most gold medals in USA Wrestling history behind John Smith’s six gold medals.
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2017 Kamal Bey
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2016 Joey Davis
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2016 J'den Cox
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2015 Jordan Burroughs
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2014 Ed Ruth
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2013 Jordan Burroughs
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2012 Jordan Burroughs
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2009 Dremiel Byers
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2008 Leroy Kemp Jr.
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2008 Randi Miller
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2007 Marcus LeVesseur
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2005 Iris Smith
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2005 Kevin Jackson
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2004 Toccara Montgomery
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2002 Dremiel Byers
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2001 Toccara Montgomery
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2001 Kevin Jackson
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1999 T.J. and Joe Williams
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1996 Townsend Saunders
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1992 Bobby Douglas
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1992 Rodney Smith
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1992 Christopher Campbell
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1991 Shawn Sheldon
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1989 Leia Kawaii
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1989 Michial Foy
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1989 Carlton Haselrig
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1988 Bobby Douglas
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1988 Kenny Monday
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1987 Tim Wright
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1984 Greg Gibson
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1980 Howard Harris
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1979 Darryl Burley
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1978 Leroy Kemp and Jimmy Jackson
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1978 Leroy Kemp Jr.
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1976 Lloyd Keaser
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1975 Fletcher Carr
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1974 Rae McDonald, Charles Beck and Elijah Whitten
Rae McDonald of University of Mount Union, Charles Beck of John Carroll University and Elijah Whitten of Ashland University become first African-American wrestlers to earn NCAA Division III All-American honors. McDonald and Beck finished second at 134 pounds and 150 pounds, respectively, while Whitten finished third at 177 pounds. A year later, McDonald became first African American to become a two-time DIII All-American.
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1973 Lloyd Keaser
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1972 Jimmy Carr
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1970 Don Benning
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1969 Carl Adams
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1967 Clarence Seal and Willie Williams
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1966 Bobby Douglas
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1965 Jim Nance
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1965 Charles Tribble
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1964 Don Benning
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1964 Bobby Douglas, Charles Tribble and Robert Pickens
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1963 Joe James
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1962 Rudy Williams and Hallow Wilson
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1962 Joe James
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1961 Eddie McQuarters
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1960 Ken Moore and Houston Antwine
Ken Moore and Houston Antwine of SIU-Carbondale become first African Americans to win NAIA championships.
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1960 Hallow Wilson
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1959 Art Baker
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1959 Bobby Douglas
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1958 Ludie Graddy
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1958 Simon Roberts
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1957 Art Baker
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1957 Simon Roberts
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1954 Simon Roberts
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1949 Harold Henson