Myron Roderick and his beloved wife Jo Ann. Photo courtesy of National Wrestling Hall of Fame

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State University wrestling icon Myron Willis Roderick passed away yesterday (Dec. 28) at the age of 77 years, according to his wife, Jo Ann.  

A 1952 graduate of Winfield (Kan.) High School, Roderick was born on Sept. 15, 1934, in Anthony, Kan. He won back-to-back wrestling state championships before coming to OSU to compete on the wrestling team for head coach Art Griffith and to play varsity tennis. But it was as a wrestler that he gained national acclaim. 

In three years of collegiate wrestling competition for the Cowboys, Roderick won 42 of his 44 matches and earned three NCAA individual titles from 1954-56, one at 137 lbs and two more at 130 lbs. He continued his career at the 1956 Olympic Games, where he lost a split decision to the eventual Olympic champion.

At age 23, in 1957, Roderick took over the reins of the program and, just one year after winning his last individual NCAA title, became the youngest coach in any sport to guide a team to an NCAA championship. His teams continued to dominate the world of collegiate wrestling for 13 years, posting a 140-10-7 dual record on the way to 13 Big Eight Conference titles and seven NCAA team championships.

As a testament to Roderick’s coaching prowess, he was named the NCAA Wrestling Coach-of-the-Year on three occasions and produced 20 individual NCAA champions and three Olympic gold medalists. 

He became one of the first coaches in collegiate sports to recruit foreign student-athletes when he secured commitments from three eventual NCAA Champions from Japan in the early 1960’s. It was Japanese native Yojiro Uetake Obata that many consider to be the greatest of Roderick’s athletes and one of  the best to ever wrestle in NCAA competition, winning three national titles while going undefeated from 1964-’66 for the Cowboys.

Roderick left Oklahoma State in 1969 to become executive director of the United States Wrestling Federation (which became national governing body USA Wrestling) an organization that he co-founded. He resigned from that position in 1974 to enter private business and take over the reins as executive director of the United States Racquetball Federation. 

In 1983, he returned to OSU as the university’s eighth athletic director, guiding the program  for seven years from 1983-1990. Under his direction, OSU athletic teams won more than 30 Big 8 championships, as well as four NCAA championships.

Roderick received the sport of wrestling's highest honor when he was inducted as a Charter Class Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He completed his professional career by serving as President of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum, an organization he helped to co-found in 1976, from 1991-2004. 

“On behalf of our Board of Governors, I want to express our deepest sympathies to Myron’s wife Jo Ann and his entire family,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum. “Myron Roderick was such a dynamic person with a witty sense of humor matched by a courageous and innovative leadership style that touched many, many lives and influenced generations through his work in sport.” 

The Roderick family is planning a private family funeral service next week, however, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Oklahoma State University will collaborate on a memorial service and tribute to his life which will be planned and announced in coming weeks.