One of wrestling's dominant figures for two decades, Russ Hellickson ruled the nation's light heavyweights through the 1970s and continued to shine as a coach and contributor to the sport.

A three-sport high school star, and a consistent winner at the University of Wisconsin, he burst into national and international prominence after graduation in 1970. He won 12 national Freestyle championships and one Greco-Roman, captured silver and bronze medals and a fourth place in the Worlds, won the Tbilisi International and the World Cup, and was the first wrestler to win three gold medals in the Pan Am Games.

Thwarted by injury in 1972, he won the silver medal in the 1976 Olympic Games, battling defending champion Ivan Yarygin of the Soviet Union in a 19-13 spellbinder. Russ was captain of the 1980 Olympic Freestyle team, stalled by the boycott.

During those 12 years, he was assistant coach at Wisconsin, where he became head coach in 1982. After four successful seasons, he moved to Ohio State. In all, he has produced more than 150 victories, five NCAA champions and two dozen All-Americans.

Russ and his wife, Nancy, founded The Crossface, Wisconsin's state wrestling newspaper, and they were honored together nationally as writers of the year in 1974 and as state editors of the year in 1976. Hellickson served on USA Wrestling's board of directors, as president of the independent clubs, as Freestyle sport chairman and as a member of the national coaching staff. He was Junior World coach twice.

His coach's talk show and production of instructional and motivational videos led to a new career as a television commentator. He was the voice of wrestling for ABC at the 1984 Olympics, for TBS at the '86 and '90 Goodwill Games, and for NBC at the 1988, '92 and '96 Olympics.

One of wrestling's most versatile and productive figures, Russell Owen Hellickson is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.