Collegiate wrestling isn’t widely recognized as a home for Black champions. But if you’re “rooting for everyone Black”, you need to pay attention to the mat, especially after this past weekend’s NCAA wrestling tournament in St. Louis.
On Saturday, 10 champions were crowned across 10 weight divisions. Of those 10 winners, 5 were Black. Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State (133 lbs.), David Carr of Iowa St. (157 lbs.), Carter Starocci of Penn State (174 lbs.), Aaron Brooks of Penn State (184 lbs.) and Gable Steveson of Minnesota (285 lbs.).
That’s an inspiring sight to see, especially at a championship event. But it’s actually a continuation of African American (Black) wrestling history, which is one rich with success.
It started with Harold Henson in 1949. Two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Henson drove to Colorado and made history as the first Black man to compete at the national wrestling championships. The 136-pound wrestler from San Diego State didn’t place at the event, but he secured his place in history.
Less than a decade later, Simon Roberts completed Henson’s mission. After becoming the first Black wrestler to win an Iowa state title in 1954, Roberts put Henson on his shoulders and became the first Black NCAA wrestling champion, winning the 147-pound title for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1957. Roberts was followed by Arthur Baker, who became the second Black collegiate wrestler to win a championship, capturing the 191-pound title for Syracuse University in 1959.
That same year, Bobby Douglas became the first Black state wrestling champion in Ohio. Five years later, Douglas joined Charles Tribble and Robert Pickens as the first Black wrestlers on the U.S. Olympic team competing in Tokyo. Four years later in 1968, at the same Olympic games where Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their black-gloved fists, Douglas was named captain of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team.
For Black wrestlers, each decade built upon the success of its predecessor.
In 1963, Pennsylvania native Jim Nance became the first Black heavyweight champion in NCAA history, taking the title for Syracuse University. In 1971 and 1972, Carl Adams of Iowa State won back-to-back NCAA titles. Chris Campbell won three Big 10 titles, two NCAA championships, was a two-time Olympian, and won a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
A decade later, Kenny Monday became the first Black U.S. wrestler to win Olympic gold in 1988 in Seoul. In 1997, Kerry McCoy became the first Black wrestler to win the Hodge Trophy, an award presented annually to the nation’s best collegiate wrestler.
In 2001, Toccara Montgomery emerged and made history. After an amazing career at the University of the Cumberlands (29-0 dual record), she became the first Black woman to medal in the World Championships and was also the first Black wrestler on the 2004 U.S. women’s Olympic team (she took 7th that year). Montgomery finished her career as a two-time world silver medalist and a wrestling pioneer.
The sport also has a celebrity element to it. The late Tab Thacker, who most recognize as “Finch” from the classic 1986 film Wildcats, was a three-time All-American wrestler for NC State. Thacker also won the NCAA heavyweight title in 1984. Former UFC star Daniel Cormier is a two-time Olympian and was the captain of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team (he couldn’t compete due to injury). The sport’s current star is New Jersey native Jordan Burroughs. Burroughs was a state champion before joining the Nebraska Cornhuskers. There he became a three-time Big 12 champion, two-time NCAA champion, and Hodge Trophy winner. He then went on to become a four-time World Champion and Olympic gold medalist (2012).
These are just a few of the amazing athletes in a sport steeped in Black history and success. And it’s that rich history that kept Burroughs from leaving for basketball.
“There was a time when I tried to quit the wrestling team so that I could play basketball instead. I’d had enough of “being different.” But instead of quitting, I finally did my research, and dived into the history of this sport.” wrote Burroughs in a story for Team USA. “I found out who the greatest wrestlers were and was surprised to see that many of them were brown like me. This discovery changed my life forever.”
Now a new class of athletes is proudly carrying the torch lit by the aforementioned champions. As of today, Roman Bravo-Young, David Carr, Aaron Brooks, and Gable Stevenson are all NCAA champions and finalists for the 2020-2021 Hodge Trophy, putting them in the class of wrestlers such as McCoy and Burroughs.
There have been three African American gold medal winners. Kenny Monday, Kevin Jackson (1992) and Burroughs. Now, these five newly crowned champions have the opportunity to potentially stand on the podium with Olympic gold layered on their necks. Of this group, Bravo-Young, Starocci, and Brooks have qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
While wrestling doesn’t have the mass appeal of football or basketball, it’s a sport with a passionate and loyal fanbase. One with a long and intimate connection with Black athletes, Black history and Black achievement and success.
So if you’re “rooting for everyone Black”, it’s a sport you need to support and watch.
