May 15, 2018
The latest episode of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Legends Podcast is with 2017 Distinguished Member and two-time NCAA champion Andre Metzger.
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For those historians who refer to the 1980s as the “Golden Age“ of
American wrestling, Michigan native Andre Metzger shines bright as
one of its stars.
Starting with a 27-second win by fall in his first match in the
ninth grade, Metzger wrestled an estimated 2,000 matches in
freestyle, collegiate and Greco-Roman. His 1,870 victories equate
to an amazing .935 winning percentage. Ending with comeback
attempts to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and 2014 U.S. World
team, his storied career spanned an incredible five decades.
Following a stellar high school career that included a state
championship, Metzger wrestled in the 1979 World Championships in
San Diego. He won the bronze medal and became the youngest American
to medal in the World Championships at the age of 19 – a record
that stood for 36 years.
Combining freestyle, Greco-Roman and judo styles, Metzger changed
the sport of wrestling and made it more exciting to watch. He is
one of the few wrestlers to have a takedown move named after him --
The Metzger.
At the University of Oklahoma from 1979 to 1982, Metzger was a
four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at 142 pounds,
after he placed fifth and second his first two years. In 1980, he
made a serious bid for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Leading in
a late-round match against 1977 NCAA champion Steve Barrett of
Oklahoma State in the Olympic Trials, Metzger suffered an ankle
fracture that ended his Olympic hopes. His quest for an Olympic
Team spot four years later ended when he got a severe case of
shellfish poisoning and couldn’t compete in the final trials.
In national competition, Metzger won three freestyle and three
Greco-Roman AAU Junior championships, as well as five AAU Senior
freestyle championships with three runner-up finishes.
Internationally, he earned two silver medals, three bronze and a
fourth-place finish in the World Championships. He also captured
two first-place titles in the Pan American Games and finished
second in the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow.
For his prolific career, dedication and contributions to the sport
of wrestling, Andre Metzger is honored as a Distinguished Member of
the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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