John Smith

Personal information
Full name	John William Smith
Born	August 9, 1965 (1965-08-09) (age 60) Del City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Weight class	62 kg
Event(s)	Freestyle andFolkstyle
College team	Oklahoma State
Club	Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
Team	USA
Medal record Men'sfreestyle wrestling Representingthe United States Olympic Games 1988 Seoul 62 kg 1992 Barcelona 62 kg World Championships 1987 Clermont-Ferrand 62 kg 1989 Martigny 62 kg 1990 Tokyo 62 kg 1991 Varna 62 kg Goodwill Games 1986 Moscow 62 kg 1990 Seattle 62 kg Pan American Games 1987 Indianapolis 62 kg 1991 Havana 62 kg Collegiate Wrestling RepresentingtheOklahoma State Cowboys NCAA Division I Championships 1987 College Park 134 lb 1988 Ames 134 lb 1985 Oklahoma City 134 lb Big 8 Championships 1985 Norman 134 lb 1987 Stillwater 134 lb 1988 Norman 134 lb 1984 Stillwater 126 lb

John William Smith (born August 9, 1965)^[1] is an Americanfolkstyle andfreestyle wrestler and coach. Smith was a two-timeNCAA Division I national champion, and asix-timeworld level champion with twoOlympic Championships and fourWorld Wrestling Championships. Smith is the onlyAmerican wrestler ever to win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor. At the end of his competitive career, Smith had won more World and Olympic gold medals in wrestling than any other American. Smith was widely known for his low single leg takedown,^[2][3] and is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time.^[4][5][6]

Smith wrestled atDel City High School inDel City, Oklahoma. While in high school Smith had a 105–5 record, and was a two-timeOklahoma state champion.^[7]

Smith competedcollegiately atOklahoma State University. While at Oklahoma State University, Smith's college career record was 154-7-2. At theNCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Smith was a three-time national finalist and a two-time national champion. After losing in the 1985 finals to future US House representativeJim Jordan, he finished his college career with 90 consecutive victories.

Beginning in his teenage years, Smith competed internationally infreestyle wrestling. Highlights of his career include fourUWW World gold medals, and twoOlympic gold medals. At the Senior level, his international freestyle wrestling record was 100–5, with an overall record of 177–8.^[8] He is the only American wrestler to ever win six consecutive World and Olympic championships as a competitor.^[9]

Smith became the head wrestling coach atOklahoma State University in 1991. During his tenure, Oklahoma State University won fiveNCAA Division I national team titles, with titles coming in 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. As of 2022, his overall dual meet record was 490-73-6.^[10] He had also coached 33NCAA Division I individual national champions, and coached his wrestlers to 152 All-American honors. Smith has brought 21 team conference titles and 129 individual conference championships to Stillwater as a coach, as well. On April 11, 2024 he announced his retirement and departure from OSU.^[9]David Taylor was appointed as his successor.

• Smith was inducted into theNational Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997.
• He was inducted into theOklahoma Sports Hall of Fame with the class of 1997.^[11]
• In 2020, Smith was inducted into theOklahoma Hall of Fame.^[12]
• The high school Smith graduated from,Del City High School in Oklahoma, named its field house after him.
• Smith has a wrestling move named after him, the John Smith low single.

Smith's older brotherLee Roy Smith and younger brotherPat Smith areNCAA Division I wrestling national champions, with Pat being the sport's first ever four-time NCAA national champion. Smith's youngest brother, Mark, was also a successful NCAA Division I wrestler, having placed in the top five nationally three times. Smith's nephews Mark Perry and Chris Perry are also NCAA Division I national champions. His son, Joe Smith, earned NCAA All-American honors twice while wrestling at Oklahoma State under his coaching.^[13] Another nephew of Smith,J. T. Realmuto, is aMajor League Baseball player.^[14]

• List of Oklahoma State University Olympians

• Dellinger, Bob & Doris. 1994.The Cowboys Ride Again. Oklahoma Bylines Inc.ISBN 978-1-882336-04-3
• Zavoral, Nolan. 1997.A Season on the Mat. Simon & Schuster.ISBN 978-0-684-84787-0
• Hammond, Jairus K. 2005.The History of Collegiate Wrestling. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.ISBN 978-0-9765064-0-9
• Moffat, James V. 2007.Wrestlers At The Trials. Exit Zero Publishing.ISBN 978-0-9799051-0-0
• Parrish, Kim D. 2007.Cowboy Up. Oklahoma Heritage Association.ISBN 978-1-885596-61-1

• Wrestling Hall of Fame – Coach
• Wrestling Hall of Fame – Wrestler
• Collegiate Record – Wrestler
• Collegiate Record – Coach
• John Smith Videos-MatDaddy.com

• 1965 births
• Living people
• American male sport wrestlers
• Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
• Wrestlers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
• Wrestlers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
• Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
• Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
• World Wrestling Champions
• Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestlers
• Oklahoma State University
• Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling coaches
• James E. Sullivan Award recipients
• People from Del City, Oklahoma
• Sportspeople from Oklahoma
• Goodwill Games medalists in wrestling
• Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games
• Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games
• Wrestlers at the 1987 Pan American Games
• Wrestlers at the 1991 Pan American Games
• Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games
• Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
• Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
• 20th-century American sportsmen
• National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductees

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2021