Kenny Monday

Kenny Dale Monday (born November 25, 1961) is an Olympic gold medalist and three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University. He began wrestling at age six at a YMCA after-school program and grew up idolizing Olympic wrestler Wayne Wells. Monday is a three-time Olympian.

Kenny Monday
Monday in 2023
Personal information
BornNovember 25, 1961 (1961-11-25) (age 61)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportFreestyle wrestling
Weight class74 kg
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul 74 kg
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 74 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Martigny 74 kg
Silver medal – second place 1991 Varna 74 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1987 Ulaanbaatar 74 kg
Silver medal – second place1988 Toledo 74 kg
Silver medal – second place1989 Toledo 74 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 74 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Silver medal – second place1982 Ames150 lb
Silver medal – second place1983 Oklahoma City150 lb
Gold medal – first place1984 East Rutherford150 lb

Monday attended Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he won four state titles and the 1977 Junior National championship. He never lost a match from seventh grade through the end of high school and finished with a record of 140–0–1.

As an All-American at OSU, Monday won the NCAA title in 1984 at 150 pounds. His collegiate record of 121–12–2 contributed to the Cowboys winning two Big Eight titles. He won the 1989 World Championship and a series of USA Freestyle championships in 1985, 1988, 1991, and 1996. He won the Olympic Championship in 1988 in a 5–2 overtime win against the Soviet Union's Adlan Varaev.

Monday was a silver medalist in the 1992 Olympics and placed sixth in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. In 2001, Monday was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[1]

On March 28, 1997, Monday competed in a mixed martial arts bout defeating John Lewis by TKO in round two at Extreme Fighting 4, which was held in Des Moines, Iowa.

Monday has also worked as the wrestling coach with the Blackzilians, a mixed martial arts camp based in Boca Raton, Florida.[2][3] He is married to Sabrina Goodwin Monday (National Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics) and has three children. Both his sons would become NCAA Division I wrestlers. His oldest son Kennedy wrestled for the University of North Carolina,[4] and his younger son Quincy currently wrestles for Princeton University. Monday currently resides in North Carolina.

On August 15, 2022, Monday was announced as the head wrestling coach at Morgan State University.[5]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
1 match 1 win 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 1–0 John Lewis TKO (punches) Extreme fighting 4 March 28, 1997 2 4:23 Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES

See also

References
  1. Kenny Monday. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  2. "Olympic wrestling legend, Kenny Monday joins the Blackzilian camp as wrestling coach". Bloody Elbow. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  3. "Wrestling coach Kenny Monday let go by 'Blackzilians'". Yahoo Sports. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  4. "Kennedy Monday". University of North Carolina Athletic Department. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  5. "Olympic Gold Medalist Selected to Lead Revived Wrestling Program at Morgan State University". 15 August 2022.
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