By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
1988 and 1992 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist John Smith has been named as one of 15 finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and USA Wrestling are asking the wrestling community to rally behind John Smith and actively participate in the fan vote for the Hall of Fame, which continues through May 16.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JOHN

Smith is one of just three wrestlers from the United States to win two Olympic gold medals, joined by George Mehnert (1904, 1908) and Bruce Baumgartner (1984, 1992).

In spite of the fact that wrestling is the No. 3 medal-producing sport for Team USA at the Summer Olympics, only two wrestlers are currently in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame: Dan Gable and Baumgartner.

Baumgartner, Gable, Mehnert and Smith are all Distinguished Members of the Hall of Fame.

ONLY FIVE OF THE 15 OLYMPIAN FINALISTS WILL BE INDUCTED.

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE ONCE PER DAY.

Please Vote Now and Vote Often.

In addition to his two Olympic gold medals, Smith won four World titles, stringing them all in a row. He is the only U.S. wrestler to win six World and Olympic gold medals in successive year. His amazing streak went 1987 World gold, 1988 Olympic gold, 1989 World gold, 1990 World gold, 1991 World gold, 1992 Olympic gold.

Visit our museum to see John’s six gold medals – 1998 and 1992 Olympics and 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991 World Championship – and his James E. Sullivan Award.

In addition to his great achievements as an athlete, John Smith has also coached the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team in 2000 and 2012.

John Smith has won these honors:

•   First wrestler to ever claim the James E. Sullivan Award as America’s outstanding amateur athlete when he won the award in 1990.
•   First American ever chosen as the Master of Technique and Wrestler of the Year by the International Wrestling Federation (now UWW) when he received the honor in 1990.
•   Recognized as one of the 100 Greatest Olympians of All Time at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
•   U.S. Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year in 1990.
•   In 1992, presented with the Amateur Athletic Foundation’s World Trophy, becoming the first North American wrestler to earn the honor.
•   In 2003, inducted into the UWW International Wrestling Hall of Fame.
•   In 1997, inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member. distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
•   In 1997, inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
•   In 1997, inducted into the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor.

Let’s add U.S. Olympic U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame to them.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JOHN