William Smith (wrestler)
William Thomas " Bill" Smith ( born September 17, 1928 in Portland, Oregon ) is a former American professional wrestler. He was Olympic champion in 1952 in Helsinki in free style at welterweight.
Career
Bill Smith studied at the University of Northern Iowa. He worked there as a freestyle wrestler and was coached by Dave McCuskey. In the years 1949 and 1950 he won the NCAA Division I Collegiate Championships ( = U.S. students Championship) in free style welterweight, which at that time had a very high priority, because it involved the best U.S. freestyle wrestler. He could repeat this success in 1950.
From 1949 to 1950 Bill Smith also won the U.S. championship of the Amateur Athletic Union in free style in a light - welterweight or. For the inaugural in 1951 Pan American Games he failed to qualify and also at the inaugural World Championships in freestyle wrestling in 1951 were no American wrestler at the start itself. But he defeated in the U.S. excretion for the Olympic Games in 1952 Melvin Northrup and represented why the United States in Helsinki.
In Helsinki Bill Smith went without any international experience at the start and still was able to win in the welterweight division in a very exciting final. He, the Swede Per Berlin and the Iranians Abdollah Mojtabavi contested the final battles and defeated each other. Bill Smith won it against Mojtabavi and lost to Per Berlin. At the end of the fighting Bill Smith had 6 points wrong, Per Berlin 7 I 8 points and Abdullah Mojtabavi failure points, which they also won the medals in that order.
This Olympic tournament were the only international championships in which Bill Smith participated. He suggested to Helsinki coaching career and worked among others at High School of Rock Iceland, Illinois, the University of Nebraska, the University of California, the Olympic Club of San Francisco and the Clayton Valley High School in Concord (California ). Also, who he 1962-1967 coach of the U.S. national team wrestler and 1968 coach of the Canadian Olympic team of freestyle wrestler. For his contributions to the sport wrestler he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1978.
Achievements
International
National
Swell
- Journal athletics, Olympic special number 1952
- Documentaition of International Championships FILA, 1976, Pages 0-47
- Website of the U.S. high school sports association - Statistics part
- Website of the AAU - Statistics part