“Rodney Smith was one of the greatest U.S. military athletes in wrestling history.” 

-Gary Abbott, National Wrestling Hall of Fame writer and author 

Rodney Smith is one of the preeminent wrestlers that Massachusetts has ever produced. He progressed from a very good high school wrestler to an outstanding collegiate wrestler to one of the finest amateur wrestlers in the world.

The foundation for his success was shaped by his mother Arlene Smith who provided Rodney with a loving and caring environment in which he was encouraged to explore all possibilities and to attempt any challenge. Her unwavering love and support would fuel his confidence throughout his life. Mrs. Smith instilled in her children a sense of determination which allowed Rodney to overcome any adversity which he would face in life. He would confide that “if my mother could work that hard for us without complaint, nothing that I would encounter would ever deter me from my goal.

Possibly because he spent a great deal of his adulthood competing outside the Bay State, Rodney isn’t appreciated in Massachusetts for the successes that he achieved in the sport of wrestling. After graduating from Western New England College, Rodney spent 10 years competing and coaching for the United States All-Army Wrestling Team and the US Olympic Team. Rodney competed in two Olympic Games, earned a bronze medal in 1992 and was chosen Captain of the United States Greco-Roman Wrestling Team for the 1996 Olympics.

Massachusetts is truly fortunate to call Rodney Smith one of her own!

When compiling a short list of the best wrestlers from Massachusetts, Rodney Smith would certainly be at the top. For the vast majority of our state’s wrestlers and fans, excellence is measured by State, All-State or New England high school championships. Few consider the dedication and sacrifice needed to excel in college or in the world of Olympic wrestling. Years of serious training are required to earn All-American status or a national championship in college. Additional years are then necessary to compete for the coveted spot on the United States Olympic or World Championship team.

Rodney Smith’s love affair with wrestling started quite by accident. It was the melding of a gifted and hard working athlete with the toughest sport known to man. Rodney’s journey to a Bronze Medal at the 1992 Barcelona World Games began at the John F. Kennedy Jr. High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. A basketball player at the JFK, Rodney suffered a leg injury which prevented him from practicing with the team. In spite of his injury, Rodney arrived early for practice every day to help the coach set up practice. The Jr. High School intramural wrestling coach noticed Rodney’s discipline and work ethic and asked him to consider wrestling the following year. He took the coach up on his offer and the following year Rodney competed in intramural wrestling.

When Rodney entered the Roger L. Putnam Vocational-Technical High School he played football but wasn’t planning on competing in a winter sport. One day, veteran wrestling coach Bill Borecki overheard Rodney extolling his accomplishments on the gridiron to a group of football players. Rodney was an up-and-coming running back for the Putnam team and Coach Borecki challenged him to stop by the wrestling room to “get a good look at you.” Smith accepted the challenge and shot back telling Borecki that “I’ll whip everybody.” That afternoon, Rodney stopped by the wrestling room to accept Borecki’s challenge. The veteran coach matched Rodney up against an athlete at least 15 pounds lighter. Having done some wrestling at the Kennedy Junior High School, Rodney was confident that he could hold his own on the mat. Wayne Stevens, one of Borecki’s many Western Massachusetts champions, was Rodney’s competition and Stevens didn’t hold back." Coach put me up against a kid who weighed about 120 pounds. I kind of laughed and figured it would be easy. No way. It took that kid about 30 seconds to turn me into a pretzel," Smith recently recalled. After the loss, Rodney decided to join the wrestling team. The rest is history.1

“Rodney was a solid block of muscle when he came to us, but he needed to learn technique and endurance. He needed to understand that wrestling often comes down to the final minute, and you have to be ready to handle it,” Borecki said. “The upside for him was that he had undeveloped potential that just blossomed.” 2

Shortly after joining the team, Rodney’s grades began to improve. He was always a bright student who flourished in the classroom only when forced to be more disciplined with his time. Wrestling would provide the positive force that he needed to mature and develop a strong self discipline. And he began to see the bigger picture; college was now an option.

Wrestling didn’t come easy for Rodney. He soon learned that strength alone wasn’t the only ingredient necessary for success on the mat. Rodney practiced hard his sophomore year but nothing seemed to click. Wrestling was the hardest thing that he had ever done. There was a great deal of strategy and technique to master before he could achieve his goal of becoming a successful wrestler. In his junior year Rodney’s wrestling skills improved significantly and he won the Western Mass. title at 140 pounds. Soon he began to receive inquiries from college football and wrestling coaches. College could be in his future. Now a senior, Rodney set his sights on winning the state championship and began serious training to reach that lofty goal.

Rodney had an outstanding senior year and it looked as though he would achieve his dream of a State title. Several colleges were actively recruiting him and there was even a mention of scholarship money. February arrived and the tournament season was underway. Rodney won his sectional tournament and he was now prepared to meet his destiny at the state tournament.

Things went as expected at the state tournament. Rodney comfortably grappled his way through his bracket and seemed destined to finally reach his goal. In the finals Rodney was up on points with less than a minute to wrestle. He was about to be a state wrestling champion! Suddenly Rodney lost his concentration. Instead of attacking, as he had done all year, he became more hesitant. He didn’t want to make a mistake and lose the championship. As destiny would have it, while circling near the edge of the mat, his wrestling shoe caught the mat and he fell to his knees, allowing his opponent to score a winning takedown in the final seconds of the final match.

How could this happen? Not only had he not won the state title but the scholarship offer was now gone. Rodney was at a crossroad in his life and must decide what his future would be. After weeks of reflection and serious thought, Rodney elected to join the Marines after high school graduation. If college were out of reach he would go down to the local Marine recruiting office to begin a new chapter in his life.

After signing papers to join the Marines, Rodney could not anticipate what would happen next. A week before he was to report to Marine boot-camp, Rodney received a letter of admission from Western New England College. A college education was now possible!

Regrettably, Rodney failed to report to Marine basic-training and the Marines issued a warrant for his arrest. He was absent without leave. The Marine Corps looked very unfavorably upon such behavior. He was headed for jail.

As fate would have it, an assistant football coach from WNEC came to Rodney’s aid to advise him that he should seek a deferment from the Marines and get his college education first. The Marines eventually agreed to the deferment under the condition that Rodney fulfill his military obligations upon graduation from college.

For the next four years Rodney attended WNEC. There he studied Sociology and Criminal Justice and competed on Coach Bob Skelton’s WNEC wrestling team. In 1987, Rodney placed fourth at the NCAA Division III National Championships and fifth the next year.

Albany, NY was the site of Wrestling’s World Cup in 1987 as well as the USA Wrestling Collegiate Championship Belt Series. While competing in the Belt Series, Rodney met his boyhood idol Derrick Waldroup, a world-class Greco-Roman wrestler out of Chicago competing for the US Army Wrestling Team in the 198.5 pound weight class. Here Waldroup inspired Rodney to pursue his wrestling career after college.

Rodney joined the US Army soon after graduation from WNE in the spring of 1988, thus honoring his commitment to the United States armed forces and embarked on a career in the military...and wrestling. It was at this time, in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, that the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine wrestling teams were developing world- class wrestlers for the United States Olympic teams. The U.S. military provided excellent facilities, outstanding coaches and the opportunity for athletes to train full time.

In 1989, while stationed in Atlanta Georgia, Smith began training with his mentor Derrick Waldroup and the US Army Wrestling Team while continuing his education at Georgia State University to earn a Masters degree in Journalism. Writing had always held a special appeal for Rodney. From an early age, he kept a journal, in which he would record his thoughts and dreams, a practice he would continue the rest of his life. Rodney loved the process of writing as it provided a release for his emotions and thoughts.

Rodney enjoyed Army life at Fort Benning, Georgia and adapted to life in the South. The Army provided a conducive environment to train the next generation of Olympic-caliber wrestlers and Rodney was able to work with great training partners, all highly motivated and prepared to push one another to excel.

Rodney adapted well to Greco-Roman wrestling even though the style was a new and difficult way of wrestling, as Greco prohibits holds below the waist and bars your legs to be used as offensive or defensive weapons. Greco usually takes years in which to become proficient, resulting in Greco wrestlers usually being older than freestyle wrestlers.

The United States conducts its own Inter-service Sports Council (ISSC) All-Armed Forces Tournament to crown wrestling champions and to choose representatives for the CISM Championships and the United States Olympic Trials. The All-Armed Forces Tournament is highly competitive and winning the team championship is highly coveted.

Rodney competed for the Army team against the best wrestlers from the Air Force, Navy and Marines for the honor and pride of being crowned the champion of the U.S. armed services. Rodney was conscious of the remarkable level of respect and camaraderie among the athletes of the different branches of the American military and he didn’t want to let his Army teammates down.

The United States military belongs to the International Military Sports Council (CISM) founded in 1948 to promote Friendship through Sport. The 136 member nations compete in more than 17 different sporting events every year. The CISM tournaments are second in difficulty only to the Olympics.

The training was demanding and Rodney began to see steady improve- ment on the mat. Rodney finished fourth in the AAU Greco-Roman Nationals in 1990, growing his optimism for the future, knowing that the work was paying off. The following year, Rodney took a bronze medal at the U.S. Nationals as well as third place finish at the World Team Trials. He wrapped the year up with a bronze medal at the Armed forces Championships. Rodney understood that he now had the ability to challenge for an Olympic berth which was still a year away. 

Everything fell into place in 1992. In March, Rodney won a gold medal in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the Armed Forces Champion- ships by defeating Michael Mann of the Marines to clinch the All- Services team trophy for his Army team. In April, Rodney took first place at the U.S. Greco-Roman Championships held in Las Vegas.

The Olympic Trials are a series of tournaments which qualify wrestlers from around the nation for the final selection process. Rodney, like most American wrestlers, decided to compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman for a position on the Olympic team.

Each region of the country sent their top wrestlers along with representatives from the military to the Olympic Trials held in Albany, N.Y. on May 13-16. There the top Greco wrestlers competed for a berth on the Olympic Team. The number of Greco-Roman wrestlers was less than the number of freestyle competitors but the competition was formidable none the less. The final selection took place in Concord, California the following month. Rodney defeated Andy Seras, a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion and five-time World Championship wrestler in a best of three competitions to earn a berth on the United States Olympic Greco-Roman team.

The freestyle tournament took place in Philadelphia on May 20-23, immediately following the Greco-Roman qualifying tournament. Over 100 wrestlers competed for the 10 spots on the Olympic team. Rodney had a difficult task ahead of him to make the team. There were eight NCAA champions at his weight class in the freestyle competition. Wrestlers like Nate Carr (three-time NCAA champion from Iowa State and 1988 Olympic bronze medalist), Pat Santoro (two-time NCAA champion from Pitt and four-time member of the U.S. National Team), Randy Lewis (two-time NCAA champion from Iowa and an Olympic gold medalist) and Townsend Saunders (NCAA champion at Cal State-Bakersfield who competed in six World Championships) were all at his weight class. The best-of-three contests at each weight class would narrow the field. Once the field is narrowed, the final selection would be decided in Pittsburgh on June 6 by the final series of wrestle- offs. Rodney didn’t make the team, but he had already achieved a great deal and was improving his wrestling skills.

While training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado in preparation for the Olympics, Smith bumped into an old acquaintance from Ludlow Mass., Mike Carolan. Carolan competed for the U.S. All-Navy Team in Greco-Roman at 198-lbs. and later at 220-lbs. Mike, who now lives in California, was an excellent Greco-Roman wrestler. He took a silver medal at the U.S. Greco-Roman Nationals in 1992. In addition he placed 4th at the World Team trials in 1987, 2nd in 1988 and 3rd at the Olympic Trials in 1992.

Mike Carolan sized up Smith after several weeks of working out together. Mike noticed that Rodney didn’t always push himself at practice and began to coast at the end of a sprint. Mike Carolan asked Rodney if “he was satisfied just being on the Olympic team” or “did he really want to win a medal at the Games?” Mike convinced Rodney to stop worrying about the competition and start out-working his opponents “Rodney was one of the best athletes who I’ve ever seen,” commented Mike Carolan. “Rodney could easily outsprint anyone on the Olympic team but he didn’t consistently push himself. If he wanted to medal, he would have to do more.” Rodney knew that Mike was right. He had to train “for the last minute of a match” as his high school coach, Bill Borecki had told him. Rodney never again lost a sprint to anyone on the team. Rodney and Mike would run sprints with the team and then go back after practice and run some more. Mike and Rodney would sprint up hills until their lungs burned with pain. They would also drop to the ground and do as many pushups as possible in 30 second clips. Running wasn’t limited to the morning two mile warm-ups with the team. They ran additional miles after practice as well. Rodney was going to be ready for the greatest challenge of his life.

The 1992 Summer Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain. This was the first Olympic Games held since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and the breakup of the Soviet Union. Every nation would be represented at the games. 13 of the 15 former Soviet Republics competed under the banner of the “Unified Team.” Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania now competed as separate nations. This Olympics would prove to be a fair judge of athletic talent because, unlike several other Olympic games, no boycott occurred.

The Olympic Games are the supreme athletic contest for a multitude of sports, including track, swimming, boxing, wrestling and others. The Games pit the finest and most highly trained athletes from around the world against one another. Olympic Greco Coach Jim Peckham would often explain that the difference between a gold medal at the Olympic Games and finishing in eighth place in a track competition was sometimes only several hundredths of a second. The margin between the abilities of athletes is infinitesimally small. The competition is fierce.

The Barcelona Olympics had 370 wrestlers representing 59 countries. Ghani Yalouz from France and Cecilio Rodriguez from Cuba were the two top wrestlers at the 149.5 pound weight class. They had beaten all of the other wrestlers in this weight class at one time or another the previous year. Rodney would eventually have to go through these men to earn a medal.

Smith’s weight class was broken up into Group A and Group B contestants. The nineteen wrestlers in the 149.5 lb. (68 Kg) weight class would compete in their group and the top five wrestlers from each group would advance to the placement matches for 1st through 10th place.

Rodney was in peak condition. He was both mentally and physically prepared for the competition. He started the tournament strong, defeating his first opponent in Group B, Pedro Villuela from Spain, 6-1. Rodney next drew a bye in Round-2. In his third round match, Smith faced Matwai Baranov from Israel. Smith easily won by fall. In Round-4, Smith defeated the Canadian entry Doug Yeats 6-2. Round-5 would prove to be one of the biggest moments in Rodney Smith’s life. In his quest for the gold, Smith would face unheralded and unbeaten Attila Repka from Hungary.

Smith was confident going into his match with Repka. For the first several minutes, the match was even. Both wrestlers attempted a variety of setups and throws, but in the end Rodney lost this match, as he later admitted, because of a mistake on his part which put him behind in points to Repka and forced him to gamble on an escape from par terre (referee's position) which failed and allowed Repka to score more points, with the match ending in a 10-0 defeat for Rodney.

After this heartbreaking match Rodney broke into tears. All of the hard work and training had seemingly been in vain, lost in this defeat. How could he possibly go on? The gold medal was out of reach. Rodney’s mother Arlene, there to watch her son compete, was as distraught as Rodney over the defeat. She had lived through Rodney’s many triumphs and defeats over the years. Somehow he had always moved on but this loss was especially hard on her and the family. Arlene left the arena in tears.

Rodney’s father’s reaction to the situation was an entirely different story. He walked right up to Rodney and told him to “do something!” He hadn’t traveled to Barcelona just to watch Rodney lose. “Do something!”

Rodney broke into a halting laughter. His father was blunt and to the point. This wasn’t the time to give up; he would have to “do something!”

Just as his high school, college and Olympic coaches had instructed him numerous times before, he would have to “get over it and get ready for his next match.” Smith would have to win his next match for any chance of winning a bronze medal.

The last match in Group B would be against highly regarded Ghani Yalouz from France. Yalouz was the reigning European Champion and was initially forecast as one of the wrestlers to beat at his weight class. Rodney would be jumping from the pan into the fire wrestling this guy! His Olympic dreams could easily end here.

In this match for survival, Smith jumped out to an early lead against Ghani Yalouz but near the end of the contest, after leading 7-0, he gave up five quick points to Yalouz, putting the outcome in doubt. But Rodney held on to a win, 7-5.

The Cuban wrestler, Cecilio Rodriguez, Rodney’s next opponent, had already teched Smith at a previous tournament the year before. Smith’s quest for the bronze medal would now come down to this last match.

Rodriguez was confident entering the match. He utilized the Russian 2- on-1 effectively building up a 3-0 lead going into the third period, taking the pro-American crowd out of the match. The fans were quiet, antici- pating a victory for the Cuban. Rodriguez was justifiably cocky and taunted his American opponent with time running out.

With only 90 seconds left in the match, Rodney saw an opening and set up a whip-over which forced Rodriguez to the mat. Suddenly it was a tied score, 3 – 3. A chant went up from the crowd “U…S…A! U…S…A! U…S…A!” Unbelievably Rodney still had life. He had just enough time to score. A medal was yet within his grasp.

When the referee called for a 4th par terre in the match, Rodriguez lifted Smith entirely off the mat to attempt a throw to seal the victory over Smith. Smith’s adrenalin was pumping so fast that he didn’t have time to think. All he could do was react. Smith was swimming in the air trying to regain his balance when the tip of his shoe touched the mat, allowing him to steady himself just enough to turn into Rodriguez and immediately pummel in to gain control. Smith then took Rodriguez to his back in the zone for 3 points and brought about one of the most exciting comebacks in Olympic wrestling history. What might have resulted in a crushing loss ended up as a spectacular win for Rodney Smith.

Imagine how emotional it must have been for Rodney to realize what had just happened! Rodney Smith was an Olympic medalist, securing his place in the pantheon of wrestling greats.

A medal in Greco-Roman wrestling had always been a rare event for United States’ teams. But in these games, Rodney’s teammates Dennis Koslowski, from South Dakota, earned a silver medal at 220 lbs. (and a silver medal in the 1988 Olympic Games) and Shawn Sheldon (114.5 lbs.) placed fourth...a very strong American effort.

The U.S. freestyle team had an impressive Olympics as well, as John Smith (136.5 lbs.), Kevin Jackson (180.5 lbs.) and Bruce Baumgartner (HWT) all earned gold medals for the United States. Zeke Jones (114.5 lbs.) and Kenny Monday (163 lbs.) earned silver medals and Chris Campbell (198 lbs.) won bronze.

Olympic wrestling was traditionally dominated by the former Soviet Union, which always earned the most medals. In these Olympic Games The Unified Team (aka Soviet Union) earned 16 total medals (freestyle and Greco-Roman): 6 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 5 bronze medals. The United States team won 8 medals: 3 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. South Korea secured 4 medals: 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze to finish in third place and Cuba grossed 5 medals: 2 gold, and 3-bronze for fourth place.

The Olympic experience would be a defining period in Rodney Smith’s life. The many years of preparation and training with the elite wrestlers and coaches of the US Army Wrestling Team and the US Olympic Wrestling Teams were a precious time in his life that he would always treasure.

Although Rodney was justifiably proud of his bronze medal, he was understandably sad as well. His goal in Barcelona was to win the gold medal for the United States. The love that Rodney had for his country made it difficult for him to listen to the Hungarian National Anthem while standing on the victory stand.

During his successful match for the bronze against the Cuban, Smith came down hard on the top of his head and fractured the fourth and fifth vertebrae in his neck. In the excitement of the contest, he didn’t feel any pain. It was only afterwards that he would notice stiffness in his neck. He didn’t initially give the injury a thought. Rodney was confident that it was only a muscle sprain and everything would be fine.

When one gets to this level of competition, injuries are a constant companion. An Olympic-caliber wrestler learns to live with the constant soreness and stiffness which come with the sport. Like NFL veterans, American wrestlers play through the severe discomfort and often suffer a lifetime of pain.

Fortunately for Smith, he was in excellent condition. If he hadn’t been in great shape, a dislocation of the cervical vertebrae would have taken place and he would have been taken out on a stretcher. His strong neck muscles kept everything in place.

For the next several months he tended to the soreness in his neck. Smith always fought through injuries in the past but this was especially troublesome. He had a high pain threshold so he treated the discomfort in his neck like every other injury he had, with rest, heat and acupuncture -but to no avail.

Rodney was still unaware of the seriousness of the injury suffered in Barcelona. "I thought the injury was just sore muscles at first -- something that I could work out of while I wrestled," said Smith. "But I saw that it wasn't getting any better, so I had it checked and found out I'd seriously injured it."3

Rodney ruled out surgery to correct his injury because it would limit his range of motion and he would never be able to wrestle again. Although he was still ranked at the top of his weight class, Smith would not be able to defend his national title during the several years he was recuperating from his Barcelona injury. Because of the injury, he wasn’t able to lift weights and his conditioning and wrestling suffered. But he eventually strengthened the muscles in his neck and the soreness gradually weakened. But unfortunately his vertebrae had calcified as a result of the injury and he found it increasingly difficult to turn his head.

Months later, in a strange and ironic incident, Rodney’s heavyweight practice partner fell awkwardly on Rodney, causing a loud cracking noise in Rodney’s neck. Smith lay motionless on the mat, hoping that he wouldn’t be permanently injured and wondering if an ambulance would be rushing him to a hospital. After lying motionless for a time, Rodney began to move and his neck which surprisingly began to feel better. As luck would have it, this accidental unpleasantness actually separated Rodney’s calcified vertebrae and now Rodney had more mobility and less soreness in his injured neck!

Now Rodney began to regain the skills that allowed him to medal in the 1992 Olympics. In 1994 Rodney placed second at the U.S. Nationals and the Armed Forces Championships. He took second at the Pan American Championships and his hard work allowed him to win the Armed Forces Championship in 1995 and finish second at the World Military Games that same year.

In a U.S. military press release, highlighting the upcoming 1996 Olympics, Master Sgt. Stephen Barrett reported how Rodney overcame his injury. “Using a combination of stretching and strengthening exercises over the past two years, Smith gradually worked his way back into shape -- and to the top seed at the 1996 Olympic trials. ‘People say hard work pays off,’ said Smith. ‘I've always understood that. But now, with all the injuries I've had, I really have an appreciation for what hard work means.’”4

In order to make the Olympic Team, Rodney had to once again endure the grueling Olympic Trials, a series of mini-tournaments to determine the winner. In the end, he had to beat his Olympic Training Center partner, Chris Saba in a best-of-three match series. It was tricky facing a scrimmage partner to make the team but Rodney defeated Saba to make his second consecutive Olympic Games. Rodney Smith was then highly honored to be named Captain of the U.S. Greco-Roman team in Atlanta.

Rodney’s friend, Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Waldroup, also made the U.S. team at the 198 lb. weight classification. Three other Army wrestlers were Olympic Team alternates. The Olympics were held in Atlanta, GA, only 120 miles north of Fort Benning. Rodney and the rest of the American team were anxious to compete in front of their friends and family in nearby Atlanta.

Wrestling medals at the Atlanta Olympics were contested in a single-elimination format with classification rounds for placement. Rodney began his Olympics with a strong 6-1 victory over Jose Escobar of Columbia. In the next round of the championship bracket Rodney defeated Yalcin Karapinar from Turkey, 12-1.

The tournament was going well and Smith was optimistic entering the quarterfinal round. Two of the favored wrestlers in his 68 kg. weight class had lost in the preceding rounds. As in any wrestling tournament, unexpected losses happen and some top seeds are eliminated. The 1992 Olympic Champion Attila Repka of Hungary lost in Round 1 and was out of the Olympics as was defending World Champion Rustam Adzhy of Ukraine by a score of 6-2. Rodney’s next opponent was highly-regarded Grigori Pulyaev from Uzbekistan. The contest proved to be a low scoring match in which Rodney lost to Pulyaev by the score of 4-0. That was it for the day and tomorrow he could wrestle back for the bronze...or so he thought. But less than a half hour after his loss to the Hungarian, and still cooling down, Rodney’s coach informed him that he was on deck for another match. With no time to properly recover or think, Rodney was matched against Cuban Liubal Colas Oris. The two wrestled a very evenly contested match, but Oris defeated Rodney 3-2. The four years of rehabilitation and hard work were suddenly over.

After he had time to recover and reflect on the Olympics, an older and more experienced competitor, Rodney was philosophical about the outcome. “Just because you don't win a medal doesn't mean you're a failure,” said Smith in an Associated Press Olympic summary. “It means things didn't go your way. I thought I would win the gold.” In spite of the fact that Rodney lost nearly two years of training due to a serious injury, it’s astounding that he made it back at all.5

The U.S. Greco-Roman team had three competitors place at the Atlanta Olympics: Brandon Paulson (114.5 lbs.), Dennis Hall (125.5lbs.) and Matt Ghaffari (HVY)- all silver medalists. Rodney Smith placed ninth and Derrick Waldroup placed seventh.

In freestyle, Kendall Cross (125.5 lbs.), Tom Brands (135.5 lbs.) and Kurt Angle (220 lbs.) won gold medals for the American team. Townsend Saunders (149.5 lbs.) placed second and Bruce Baumgartner (HVY) placed third.

The Russian wrestling teams earned seven medals (4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze). The United States came in second with eight total medals (3 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze). Poland finished in third place with five medals (3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze).

After the 1996 Olympics, Rodney Smith spent 10 more years in the Army, based at the Olympic Training Site in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Coach Smith worked with the next generation of American wrestlers preparing them for the World Championships and the Olympics.

“Coach Borecki always said we should let our efforts on the mat speak for us. Don’t talk like a champ until you prove you are one – and never underestimate an opponent.”

1. Brown, Gary. “Wrestler Rodney Smith’s Journey to Olympic medal began at Springfield vocational high school,” The Republican, July 24, 2012. https://www.masslive.com/news/2012/07/wrestler_rodney_smiths_journey.htm 

2. Ibid.

3. Barrett, Master Sgt. Stephen. “Smith, Waldroup Earn Olympic Greco-Roman Spots,” American Armed Forces Press Service, June 17, 1996. https://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=42308 

4. Ibid.

5. Robinson, Alan. “Crowd Lifts Hall to OT Wrestling Victory,” Associated Press, July 20, 1996,. https://apnews.com/3b09bb765ccd80cbbc2ef5d245199cf3