The fires of competition burn brightly within all champion athletes, but never more intensely than in the heart of Terry McCann. His fierce love of the challenge of sport carried him to supreme heights in wrestling.

Starting in Chicago playground programs at age 12, he advanced through high school championships to the University of Iowa, where he lost only three matches in three years, won three Big Ten titles, and twice was National Collegiate champion.

Business interests took him to Tulsa, where he won three National AAU titles. In 1959, he was undefeated in eight dual meets against the Soviet Union. Because of injury, he started the 1960 Olympic trials at the bottom of the ladder, but earned a trip to Rome and won a gold medal.

He coached junior high wrestlers three years in Tulsa, winning conference and state titles. Then, returning to Chicago, he took the helm of the Mayor Daley Youth Foundation and coached the club team to six national freestyle and five Greco-Roman championships in seven years.

In 1965, McCann teamed with Myron Roderick and others to spur creation of the United States Wrestling Federation, forerunner of USA Wrestling, and was a charter member of its governing council. He served two terms as president, and became the international delegate.

Upon dedication of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Terry's first reaction was to nominate another wrestler, Russell Vis. He wrote of his boyhood heroes, "people like George Mehnert, Robin Reed, Bobby Pearce, Russell Vis, Frank Lewis and later, the great Bill Koll."

In recognition of his stature as one of the great wrestlers of all time, and a contributor to the sport with all the intensity and dedication he showed in competition, Terrence John McCann is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.