Baumgartner, Cross, Scherr elected as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
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(National Wrestling Hall of Fame)
02/11/2002
A trio of former wrestling greats has been selected as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Distinguished Members for the Class of 2002. One of the most highly decorated wrestlers to ever take the mat, Bruce Baumgartner amassed a bevy of accomplishments during his lengthy stint in the sport of wrestling. Baumgartner began his ascent to the sport's pinnacle in 1982 as he captured the first leg of the wrestling "grand slam", winning an NCAA Championship during his senior season at Indiana State. While competing for ISU, he posted a career record of 134-12, including 73 falls, and finished 44-0 during his championship run. An astounding Olympic career would soon follow, as Baumgartner captured his first Olympic Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first American in 60 years to accomplish the feat in the super heavyweight class. A silver-medal performance at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea followed before he returned to the top platform with a Gold Medal in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Baumgartner opened the 1996 Games in Atlanta by carrying the Stars and Stripes at the Opening Ceremony before claiming his fourth Olympic medal, a Bronze, to make him just the eighth athlete in U.S. history to medal in four different Olympiads. After finishing first at the 1995 World Championships, Baumgartner was the recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award, honoring the top amateur athlete in the U.S. In addition, he was awarded the 1999 FILA Gold Star and is the president of USA Wrestling. All told, Baumgartner captured a combined 13 World and Olympic championships, the most ever by a freestyle wrestler, and retired with a 17-year undefeated streak against American wrestlers. Kendall Cross' final competitive match wound up like many before it, with his hand raised in the hallowed halls of Gallagher-Iba Arena on the Oklahoma State campus. After a career that saw him achieve success on all levels, the former Cowboy great won the gold medal at the 1997 World Cup on the home mat of his alma mater to close out his career. Cross was a 1985 Oklahoma high school state champion before moving on to the collegiate level. At OSU, Cross won 112 matches on his way to becoming a three-time All-American and an NCAA champion in 1989. After winning the 1992 Olympic Trials and finishing sixth at the Barcelona Games, Cross earned a second trip to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and did not disappoint, capturing a gold medal on his home soil. In addition to his Olympic triumph, Cross won three U.S. Nationals titles. He finished first at the 1996 Roger Coulon Tournament in France and won the 1988 Espoir Nationals before claiming the title at the 1988 Espoir World Cup. Cross was named the 1996 USA Wrestling Freestyle Wrestler of the Year as well as the Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler at both the 1992 and 1995 U.S. Nationals. Jim Scherr has been as big an asset to the sport of wrestling off the mat as he has been on it-a considerable feat when taking into account his athletic prowess. After being crowned a South Dakota state champion in 1980, Scherr took his talents to the University of Nebraska where he earned All-America honors twice and was an NCAA champion in 1984. Scherr won three U.S. Nationals titles, two U.S. Olympic Festival crowns and earned a berth in the 1988 Olympiad with his victory at the Olympic Trials. He placed fifth at his weight class in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. On the international stage, Scherr won silver medals at the 1987 and 1989 World Championships to go along with World Cup titles in 1986 and 1989. In addition, Scherr took the gold at the 1989 Pan-American Championships. Scherr was named as the outstanding wrestler at the 1989 U.S. Nationals. Scherr went on to hold the position of Executive Director of USA Wrestling from 1990-2000. When he was hired, he was the youngest Executive Director in the Olympic family. USA Wrestling reached new levels of success during his tenure. He has also been appointed to numerous USOC, USA Wrestling and FILA committees. He also served as USA Wrestling's treasurer prior to assuming his duties as Executive Director. The 1994 USA Wrestling Man of the Year, Scherr was also honored as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Order of Merit winner in 1997. Baumgartner, Cross and Scherr will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during Honors Weekend on June 7-8 in Stillwater, Okla.