Spirit of Schultz Lives On
Killed a decade ago, wrestler still inspires those he left
January 26, 2006, will be a bittersweet date for the U.S. wrestling community. It marks the 10-year anniversary of the day when wrestling hero Dave Schultz was senselessly murdered by John du Pont on Foxcatcher Farms in Newtown Square, Pa., where Schultz was training for a spot on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team.
Certainly, it will be a day of sadness for so many people who knew Dave. It also provides an opportunity for us to celebrate the life of this remarkable man and to recognize the legacy that he and his wife Nancy have left for wrestling.
For young people who do not know about Dave, here is a short history lesson.
D
ave Schultz was one of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. history, an Olympic champion, world champion, Tbilisi champion, NCAA champion; champion always. He was a wrestling nut, a mat rat, somebody who had an absolute love of the sport and all of its facets. He was also a character, the kind of person you never forget if you met him.Dave was a California boy and in high school was already one of the nation’s best wrestlers. He was more than just a high school state champion. While still at Palo Alto High, Schultz won an AAU Senior National Greco-Roman title and pinned Chuck Yagla to win the Great Plains Freestyle Open. He also went on the U.S. tour to Tbilisi in Russia, competing in a nation that would have so much meaning to him throughout his life. If you look back on high school wrestling history, Schultz is in a rare group of achievers who were way ahead of their time.
His college career was a bit disjointed with three different stops along the way. He started at Oklahoma State, where he was an All-American, but chose to transfer back West to attend UCLA with his younger brother, Mark. However, UCLA dropped the sport from under him and he transferred to Oklahoma, where he won an NCAA title. Dave Schultz was a very good college wrestler, but it was in international freestyle wrestling where he created his legacy.
Dave always wanted to be the best in the world. Just to be No. 1 in the U.S., he had to beat Lee Kemp, one of the greatest U.S. wrestlers ever. Kemp won three world titles and had an opportunity to win an Olympic title dashed with the 1980 U.S. boycott of the Games. In 1983, Kemp decided not to attend the world championships. Schultz went instead and won the world gold medal. The next year, Dave finally beat Lee to make the U.S. Olympic team and Schultz marched on to win the Olympic gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Dave was also one of the most consistent champions we have had, winning seven career world medals for our nation; an amazing total. Dave captured all the major titles in our sport and could be counted on to win a medal at the times he did not take gold. His grip on the top spot in our nation lasted for half a decade, because he lost it to the next great middleweight in history, Kenny Monday.
At the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, Monday had improved enough to beat Schultz and he went on to win the Olympic gold in Seoul, South Korea. Everybody remembers the photo of Dave Schultz placing Kenny Monday on his shoulders in Korea after Monday won the Olympic title.
Dave was also very persistent. After losing to Monday, he continued competing at a high level, even though he was not able to claim the No. 1 spot. Schultz made other wrestlers better. He became one of the greatest technicians in American history, and he did not keep the secret to himself, sharing it with others all the time.
After Monday briefly retired in 1992 following his Olympic silver medal in Barcelona, Schultz was ready. In his mid-30s, Dave retained the No. 1 spot in the nation, beating talented younger athletes. He won his final world medal with a silver medal in 1993 in Toronto, Canada, as a member of the first U.S. team to ever win a world team title.
Dave made the 1992 and 1993 U.S. world teams and so many fans remember Dave competing at home in front of American fans in the 1995 World Championships in Atlanta. It brings chills to many of us remembering how the Iranian fans gave Dave an ovation after he beat the Iranian wrestler in Atlanta and Dave waved back to them with love.
The 1996 Olympic Trials was going to be a tremendous showdown because Monday had announced that he was coming back for a third try for an Olympic medal. At age 36, Dave was preparing for one final run at glory. It all ended on a dreary day in January, ten years ago. The world was robbed of a great person and our sport lost an amazing resource.
For all of his success, Dave did not even look like a wrestler. His brother Mark, also a world and Olympic champion, had the chiseled body of a Greek god. Dave was a bit lumpy and walked in a certain unique way. He had this beard that gave him a distinct look and his body was covered with hair. But to see him on the mat was to witness genius at work and recognize the beauty of our sport.
However, it was the man himself that made such an impact in the world. Dave was truly a family man. His wife, Nancy, and children, Alexander and Danielle, were the world to him. Dave loved all kids, not only his own, but everybody’s children. This was a person full of love and joy and depth.
Dave was truly revered around the world. He learned to speak Russian so he could communicate with Soviet athletes, who were his top challengers. He made friends everywhere he went, regardless of race or religion or other cultural barriers. Dave was an ambassador of goodwill for wrestling, a shining example why sport is such an important influence in the world.
So many people in wrestling have personal stories about Dave. He was the kind of person who would talk with and help anybody. When you were with Dave, he made you feel like you were his best friend. He had a sincerity that I have seen very little in the world today. He was one of the few athletes in my two decades in this business who just picked up a phone, called to thank me for my efforts and to just chat, rather than wanting something from me.
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