Dremiel Byers

Dremiel Byers (born September 11, 1974) is an American former wrestler in the Greco-Roman discipline. Byers joined the World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) in 1996 and was the 2002 World Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at 120 kg. In total, Byers won three World medals and was a two-time Olympian. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2021.[1]

Dremiel Byers
Sgt. 1st Class Byers celebrates winning a tournament
Personal information
Born (1974-09-11) September 11, 1974
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Home townKings Mountain, North Carolina, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Weight class120 kg (264.5 lbs)
Event(s)Greco-Roman
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2002 Moscow120 kg
Bronze medal – third place2007 Baku120 kg
Silver medal – second place2009 Herning120 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place2001 Levallois-Perret130 kg
Silver medal – second place2007 Antalya120 kg
Silver medal – second place2008 Szombathely120 kg
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place1999 Winnipeg130 kg
Silver medal – second place2007 Rio de Janeiro120 kg
Pan American Championships
Silver medal – second place2002 Maracaibo120 kg
Gold medal – first place2003 Guatemala City120 kg
Silver medal – second place2006 Rio de Janeiro120 kg

Early life and education

Dremiel Byers was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised by a single mother in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Byers carries a childhood nickname, "Bam" or "Big Bam" to the current day. Byers earned this nickname from when he was a toddler, carrying a 1-pound dumbbell as a toy. He attended Kings Mountain High School, where he was an All-State wrestler and won the North Carolina high school heavyweight state championship in 1993.[2]

Byers attended North Carolina A&T for one year on a football scholarship. Byers studied Animal Science. He was later forced to leave college to take care of family matters. After leaving college, he signed a 2-year enlistment in the US Army.

Wrestling career
Dremiel Byers (top) lifts an opponent at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In the US Army, when asked if anyone in his group wrestled before, Byers mentioned how he had been a North Carolina state champion. From there, he was introduced to the Greco-Roman style of wrestling and the start of a prolific Greco-Roman wrestling career.[3] Byers joined the US Army World Class Athlete Program in 1996. He competed out of Colorado Springs, Colorado for the US Army, in the 120 kg (264.5 lbs) weight class. During his career he had many accomplishments and awards as a wrestler. He was recognized as the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

Byers would earn a gold medal in Greco-Roman at the 2002 World Wrestling Championships. He also helped the United States win its first Greco-Roman World team title at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships, with his victory in the bronze medal match clinching the team title. Byers finished his career tied with Matt Ghaffari for the most Greco-Roman World Championship medals by a United States wrestler, by achieving three medals at the World Championships.[4]

He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions in 2015. In 2021, Byers was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

Personal life

Byers is an avid motorcyclist. He is a member of the motorcycle club Street Soldierz out of Denver, Colorado and is the Colorado Springs Chapter commander. Byers is a Sergeant First Class in the US Army.[5]

References
  1. Hall of Fame biography: Dremiel Byers, Distinguished Member. Team USA. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  2. L Hughes II, Joe. (June 7, 2021). Truly legendary: Kings Mountain's Byers joins distinguished list in national wrestling HOF. gastongazette.com. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  3. Ford, Alan. (May 3, 2018). Wrestling champ Byers to join Hall class. shelbystar.com. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  4. Dremiel Byers | National Wrestling Hall of Fame. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. Dremiel Byers. Team USA. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
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