Wrestling Greats To Sign Autographs During ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships
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John Fuller (USA Wrestling)
07/17/2002
Four of the greatest amateur wrestlers in U.S. history will be available to sign autographs during the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, N.D. Olympic medalists Bruce Baumgartner, Tom Brands and Terry Brands will sign autographs on Friday, July 26. Cael Sanderson, the first undefeated, four-time NCAA champion will sign autographs on Thursday, July 25. All autograph sessions will take place at the ASICS booth in the Fargodome. Baumgartner is one of the most decorated wrestlers in American history. A four-time Olympian, Baumgartner captured gold medals in the 1984 and 1992 Olympic Games. In 1988, he was an Olympic silver medalist and in 1996, he won an Olympic bronze medal. Baumgartner, currently the President of USA Wrestling and Athletics Director at Edinboro Univ., was also an eight-time World Cup gold medalist. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this summer as a Distinguished Member. Tom Brands struck gold in 1996, winning a gold medal at his first Olympic Games. He was a World Champion in 1993 and won four consecutive U.S. Nationals titles from 1993-96. Brands is currently an assistant coach at the Univ. of Iowa, where he won three NCAA titles as a college wrestler. Brands was named as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2001. Terry Brands, the twin brother of Tom, was named the head coach at the Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga this spring. In 2000, he came out of retirement and qualified to compete in the Olympics, winning a bronze medal. He was a two-time World Champion (1993 and 1995) and a two-time World Cup Champion (1994-95). In college, Brands was a two-time NCAA Champion (1990 and 1992) at the Univ. of Iowa. Sanderson won his fourth NCAA title in March, finishing his college career with an astonishing 159-0 record. In June, he won the U.S. World Team Trials for the second consecutive year to earn a spot on the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team. Sanderson recently signed a long-term endorsement contract with ASICS. Baumgartner and the Brands twins are also members of the ASICS Advisory Staff. The combined ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships is the largest wrestling event in the world. Over 3,500 wrestlers compete in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling to earn the title of National Champion. This year, women's wrestling has been added to the event for this first time.