Steve Fraser

Steven Howard "Steve" Fraser ( born March 23, 1958 in Hazel Park, Oakland County) is a former American professional wrestler and coach. He was Olympic champion in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Career

Fraser began at the Hazel Park High School with the wrestling, where he won several championships. Also at the University of Michigan, which he subsequently attended, he continued the struggle continues successfully. He was twice NCAA Division I "all- American " champion. After leaving the university, he struggled for many years with the Michigan State Club. In 1979 he was qualified for the U.S. World Cup team. At the World Championships in San Diego, he lost the light heavyweight Greco-Roman style, in the first two rounds against Poland Czesław Kwieciński and the West German Pedro Pawlidis and had to retire.

Because of the Olympic boycott of the United States at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow came for Fraser there a start out of the question. But at the World Championships in 1982 in Katowice in the Greco-Roman style, he took part again, but without being able to secure a place in front of the field itself. The exact placement of this championship are not held from seventh place. In 1983 he was in Caracas Pan-American champion in the light heavyweight division.

1984 was the great year of Fraser. He was in Los Angeles Olympic champion at light heavyweight in Greco- Roman style. In the final he defeated the Romania Ilie Matei, after he had ausgepunktet multiple Swedish champion Frank Andersson in the first round. He was the first U.S. Olympic gold medalist in wrestling Greco- Roman style.

After the end of his career as an active wrestler he was coach until 1993 at the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. He was also a coach for over 10 years in the Michigan Wrestling Club. For his contributions to the sport wrestler he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1995 he was the head coach of the U.S. wrestling team and led, among other things, the Superschwergewichtler Rulon Gardner in 2000 to Olympic victory in the Greco-Roman style, as this defeated the force be invincible double Olympic champion and multiple world champion Alexander Karelin from Russia.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, GR = Greek and Roman. Style, F = Freestyle, Hs = light heavyweight, then up to 90 kg body weight)

USA Championships

Steve Fraser in 1981 and 1983 USA champion in the greek -Roman. Style and 1984 in free style, each in the light heavyweight division.