Kenny Monday

November 25, 1961 - Present

No matter what the calendar said, when he stepped onto a mat it was always "MON-day night!" Poise, patience and mental toughness propelled Kenny Monday to Olympic gold in 1988, silver in 1992 and sixth in 1996. He made winning a habit and wrestling a pleasure to watch.

At Booker T. Washington, Kenny's coach characterized his passage from "scrawny to awesome," as Monday chalked up an almost unblemished record of 140-0-1. He amassed four state high school championships at four different weights , tucking in a 1977 Junior Nationals title along the way. In seven trips to the Junior Olympics, he won five times.

At Oklahoma State University, the 150-pounder became a teammate of the only wrestler to tie him in high school duals, a fierce competitor named Mike Sheets. At OSU, Kenny ran up a career record of 121-12-2. Twice a runner-up, Monday captured an NCAA title in 1984. He ranked second on OSU's all-time list for falls. In 1986, he won the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Classic and took both the Sunkist International Open the the World Cup the following year.

International victories came at the 1988 Tblisi Tournament, the 1989 World Championships, the 1991 Pan American Games and the President's Cup in Turkey, the 1992 Roger Coulon in France and the 1996 Dan Kolov Tournament in Bulgaria. At the grueling Tblisi in Soviet Georgia, he was honored with the prized animal-skin cloak at the Outstanding Wrestler. One American coach summed up the Tblisi as "probably five times as tough" as the Olympics. O.W. honors also went to Kenny in 1989 and 1990 at the Grand Masters Tournament.

Four times Kenny posted wins at the U.S. National Championships and also captured the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival crown. His 1988 Olympic Games success brought Monday the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year award, as well as the Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year in 1989.

For his dual achievements as a stellar wrestler at every level and for his encouragement of youth wrestling, Kenny Monday is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Awards:

Year
2001
Award
Distinguished Member
Chapter/Region
National

All American Awards:

Season
1984
School
Oklahoma State
Tournament
Division I
Weight
150
Place
1
Season
1983
School
Oklahoma State
Tournament
Division I
Weight
150
Place
2
Season
1982
School
Oklahoma State
Tournament
Division I
Weight
150
Place
2

College Season Records:

Season
1984
School
Oklahoma State
Class
Senior
Bouts
34
Wins
33
Losses
1
Ties
0
Falls
18
Win PCT.
97.06
Place
1st
Season
1983
School
Oklahoma State
Class
Junior
Bouts
39
Wins
37
Losses
2
Ties
0
Falls
15
Win PCT.
94.87
Place
2nd
Season
1982
School
Oklahoma State
Class
Sophomore
Bouts
28
Wins
25
Losses
2
Ties
1
Falls
10
Win PCT.
89.29
Place
2nd
Season
1981
School
Oklahoma State
Class
Freshman
Bouts
35
Wins
27
Losses
7
Ties
1
Falls
8
Win PCT.
77.14
Place
DNP
Season
Career
Bouts
136
Wins
122
Losses
12
Ties
2
Falls
51
Win PCT.
89.71

All Rankings:

Season
1984
Rank Date
11/21/1983
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
12/12/1983
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
12/26/1983
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
01/16/1984
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
01/30/1984
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
02/13/1984
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
02/27/1984
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1984
Rank Date
03/08/1984
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1983
Rank Date
03/10/1983
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1982
Rank Date
01/31/1982
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1982
Rank Date
02/15/1982
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1982
Rank Date
02/27/1982
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State
Season
1982
Rank Date
03/13/1982
Weight
150
Rank
1
School
Oklahoma State

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