Russ Camilleri, who dominated both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling through much of the 1960s -- and was also a wrestler and coach at San Jose State University -- was welcomed as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma, joining fellow honorees Dave Auble, Rulon Gardner, and Lincoln McIlravy.
Camilleri was perfect in high school, racking up a 48-0 overall record at Campbell High School in California. Along the way he snagged two state high school titles and three conference championships, and was named Outstanding Wrestler in the conference tournament during both his junior and senior years.
At San Jose State, Camilleri's impressive mat career rolled right along. In three years of varsity competition, he built a 78-4 record for a .951 winning percentage -- the best of any SJSU Spartan wrestler. He became a Pacific Coast Champion in 1958 after finishing second the previous two years.
It was after college where Camilleri took his wrestling to new heights. As an Air Force officer from 1958-63, he won six Interservice Championships and was undefeated in 13 years at the Naval Training Center Tournament in San Diego with a record of 78-0.
Camilleri qualified for the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team twice, placing eighth at the 1960 Rome Games, and seventh at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. What's more, Camilleri can claim more national titles than any other wrestler, winning AAU freestyle crowns in 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1971, and Greco-Roman championships in 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1972. Six times he was honored as the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament, a feat that no other wrestler has ever accomplished.
Even more remarkable, at the time, the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments were wrestled back-to-back, requiring winning six matches per style at scratch weight to win.
Camilleri returned to San Jose State to serve as head coach of the wrestling program for a couple years in the early 1970s. He now lives on a farm near Richland, Missouri, and is also a member of the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame.
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Resources
San Jose State University: National Wrestling Hall of Fame pins Russ Camilleri
National Wrestling Hall of Fame: Official website... Russ Camilleri Hall of Fame biography... Video: Interview with Russ Camilleri... Induction ceremony
Larry Slater: Photos from National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors Weekend
TheMat.com: Honors Weekend concludes with Hall of Fame Induction Banquet
College Wrestling Examiner: Dave Auble, 2x Cornell NCAA champ, becomes National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member... 2x Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner welcomed as Distinguished Member to National Wrestling Hall
College Wrestling 101: Links to articles answering basic questions about wrestling, including rules, scoring, uniforms, more
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