Fifty years ago this week, three US wrestlers from the Midwest -- Terry McCann, Shelby Wilson, and Doug Blubaugh -- surprised the world by winning gold medals at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
In an InterMat Rewind historical feature, writer Mark Palmer provides an in-depth look at freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in Rome, with the prime focus on the three American "golden boys" of the mat:
> Terrence John McCann, a Chicago native and two-time NCAA champ for the University of Iowa (1955-1956), who won the gold medal in freestyle at bantamweight (57kg/125.5 lbs), despite thinking his Olympic dream died with a loss to Finland's Tauro Jaskari;
> Shelby Autrie Wilson, who, despite never winning an Oklahoma high school state title or an NCAA title while wrestling at Oklahoma State, claimed the ultimate prize: gold in lightweight (67kg/147.5 lbs) freestyle competition;
> Douglas Morlan Blubaugh grew up in the same hometown as Wilson (Ponca City, Oklahoma) and was a 1957 NCAA champ at Oklahoma State. The former Cowboy shocked the world by pinning the unbeaten Emam-Ali Habibi of Iran in "The Epic Struggle" immortalized in posters and film, ultimately winning the welterweight gold medal at 73kg/161 lbs in freestyle.
The article also provides the wrestling background of each of the three gold medalists... how each of them qualified for the 1960 Olympics... and the challenges they faced wrestling outdoors in the ancient ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius, the venue for freestyle and Greco-Roman competition.
What's more, the InterMat Rewind piece also paints a picture of what life was like for US wrestlers in Rome that magic summer, including interviews with team members Russ Camilleri, a 1958 NCAA qualifier from San Jose State (and 2010 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member honoree), and Ed DeWitt, 1956 NCAA champ for the University of Pittsburgh.
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Resources
InterMat Rewind: 1960 Olympics
College Wrestling 101: Links to articles answering basic questions about wrestling, including rules, scoring, uniforms, more
Follow College Wrestling Examiner Mark Palmer on Twitter
Comments
Wow! what a great article. I very much enjoyed all of the details, I and my children and grandchildren went to Italy for two weeks this summer, all 25 of us. I wanted to show them the place where Terry earned his gold medal. We spent some time at the Basilica Di Massenzio, our grandsons, took of their shirts and proceeded to wrestle each other. It was an awesome feeling to be back at the same spot, 50 years later. I'm planning to go to Ponca City in Oct., if all goes well. Best Wishes, Lucille
Mrs McCann, Thank you so much for reading the article and responding. Neat to hear you and your family got to go to Rome where Terry wrestled. And, I'm glad to hear you're planning to go to Ponca City, too. I'd like to correspond with you directly, if possible. You may email me at Mark@Intermatwrestle.com. Best wishes, Mark Palmer
Wow! what a great article. I very much enjoyed all of the details, I and my children and grandchildren went to Italy for two weeks this summer, all 25 of us. I wanted to show them the place where Terry earned his gold medal. We spent some time at the Basilica Di Massenzio, our grandsons, took of their shirts and proceeded to wrestle each other. It was an awesome feeling to be back at the same spot, 50 years later. I'm planning to go to Ponca City in Oct., if all goes well. Best Wishes, Lucille
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