William Smith (wrestler)

William T. Smith (September 17, 1928 – March 20, 2018)[1] was an American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling at the 1952 Olympic Games.

Bill Smith
Personal information
Born(1928-09-17)September 17, 1928
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedMarch 20, 2018(2018-03-20) (aged 89)
Humboldt, Iowa, U.S.
Home townCouncil Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamIowa State Teachers College
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki Welterweight
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing Iowa State Teachers College
NCAA Wrestling Championships
Gold medal – first place1949 Fort Collins165 lb
Gold medal – first place1950 Cedar Falls165 lb

Smith was born in Portland, Oregon and graduated from Thomas Jefferson Senior High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[2] He then enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa), where Smith won back-to-back NCAA wrestling titles at 165 pounds in 1949 and 1950. As a team, Iowa State Teachers College finished as NCAA Runners-Up in 1949 and NCAA Champions in 1950. He also won three Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national titles.[3] In 1978, Smith was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[4] Thomas Jefferson High School dedicated their Wrestling room shortly after they rebuilt their Activities Center Building in 2008. William Smith died on March 20, 2018, at the age of 89. Intermat Wrestling website posted an article about Bill citing all of his accomplishments.[5]

Olympics

Smith competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki where he received a gold medal in Freestyle wrestling, competing in the welterweight class.[6]

References

  1. "Olympic champion, T.J. Grad Bill Smith dies at 89".
  2. "Notable Oregonians". All-Oregon. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
  3. "Bill Smith, University of Northern Iowa". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  4. William Smith. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  5. Palmer, Mark (March 21, 2018). "Olympic gold medalist, NCAA champ Bill Smith passes". InterMat Wrestle.
  6. "1952 Summer Olympics – Helsinki, Finland – Wrestling" Archived 2007-06-10 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on 13 September 2008)


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