2009 Outstanding American Steve Silver

A lifetime of giving back


Kenny Monday calls him "a lifer."

Jeff Levitetz simply says "he's gone above and beyond what most have done when it comes to giving back to the sport of wrestling."

Steve Silver just wants to help in any way he can.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum will honor Silver with induction as its 2009 recipient of the Outstanding American Award at Honors Weekend in Stillwater, June 5-6.

Without question, Silver's journey from a high school wrestler in Spencerport High School in New York to the University of Alabama to USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 2006 has been filled with a commitment to giving back to a sport that helped shape him.

"Wrestling taught me that I have to compete for everything and I have to prepare for competition," Silver said. "In business I compete for customers, sales, employees, designs, interest rates and more. When I go on a sales call with a major customer, that's my wrestling match and I have to prepare.

"It's easy in business to be unaware that you are competing. In wrestling, when you are unaware that your opponent is ready to compete and you haven't properly prepared, you receive immediate feedback. In business it's not as obvious but the results are the same, you lose."

Silver owns the Steve Silver Company, an import furniture business in Dallas. Over the last 20-plus years, the company has grown over $150 million in sales and has 500 employees worldwide in five nations.

While building his business, every time he thought he may be done with wrestling something always brought him back.

After high school he earned a scholarship to Alabama where Pat Milkovich was the coach.

"I decided that I wasn't going to wrestle in college," admitted Silver. "I took three years off, but I missed it and wanted to get back into it. I ended up going to Alabama but I had to walk-on."

However, Alabama dropped wrestling after Silver's third season in Tuscaloosa. A teammate of Silver on the Crimson Tide squad was Levitetz, who was inducted into the NWHOF in 2002 as an Outstanding American.

"It's not like we really had a big future in wrestling, as far as having Olympic dreams," said Levitetz. "We were probably more focused on making money at that time."

After moving to Texas, Silver briefly worked out with a community college team. Less than a year later he would be done with wrestling.

Or so he thought.

"I got a wild hair and ended up going to the NCAA Championships in 1989 in Oklahoma City," Silver recalled. "It sparked my interest again, especially seeing some old friends I hadn't seen in awhile."

It wasn't long before one of his sons, Luke, now a redshirt-freshman at Oklahoma State, got the wrestling bug.

"Luke was about 8-years old and wanted to wrestle," Silver said. "He was playing baseball and was doing well but he wanted to try wrestling. Next thing he wants to go to a wrestling tournament, so of course I went to watch. That was it. It was full-speed ahead from that point forward."

Wrestling wasn't a top priority in Forney, Texas, so Silver spearheaded a move to get some big-time coaching for a club which he started. One of the first calls was to Kenny Monday, an Olympic gold medalist in 1988.

"Steve is a visionary, someone who enjoys helping people," said Monday, who coaches Team Monday, a club team in the Dallas area that has helped turn Bishop Lynch High School into one of the better high school programs in the country. "He really wanted to raise the level of wrestling in Texas and he's certainly helped to do that. He wants to help those kids get an opportunity to make it to the next level.

"His program has started to work. His passion has grown and his commitment has grown."

A developing club needed a high school. Bishop Lynch became that school as Silver approached the administration with a plan of a program.

"It wasn't easy but here it is seven, eight years later and we've started to have success," Silver said. "I think that is my real goal, to give these kids an opportunity to go to college. That gives me a lot of satisfaction. We have a kid going to Duke next year and possibly West Point (N.Y.). We've had some Ivy League schools showing some interest, so, for me, that means we are doing some good things (at Bishop Lynch)."

Four of Silver's sons have competed in wrestling.

Clay Silver wrestled at Texas-Arlington, a member of the NCWA. Luke is a 149-pounder at O-State, while Johnny Koepp, who Silver adopted, is also a Bishop Lynch product and currently at OSU.

Troy is a junior at Bishop Lynch and being recruited by a number of programs.

Even with a day-to-day business to run and kids competing in various locations, Silver has found time for even more in regards to wrestling.

He served as Team Leader of the 2005, 2006 and 2007 U.S. World Freestyle Teams, competing in Hungary, China and Azerbaijan, respectively. He was also Team Leader for the U.S. squad at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Nothing Silver does surprises Levitetz, who's had a similar career path that includes starting a wrestling club in Boca Raton, Fla., and becoming very successful in business.

"My first business in college, we were partners," said Levitetz, USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 2004. "I can't think of anybody more deserving of this honor because he's gone above and beyond what most have done for the sport as far as giving back.

"I can remember driving to Chicago and back to Alabama twice a month when we were in college … running out of gas at two in the morning and trying to find a gas station. Those are great memories.

"I'm very proud of Steve, but more proud to know him."

The Class of 2009 also includes: Distinguished Members Peter Blair, Ed Eichelberger, Les Gutches and Dennis Koslowski; Order of Merit honoree Arno Niemand; Medal of Courage recipient Larry Gibson; and Outstanding Official Pete Yagla. This group will mark the 33rd class since the NWHOF began operations in 1976.