#ThrowbackThursday: 1995 World champion and 1996 Olympic silver medalist Dennis Hall
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Dennis Hall of the USA pummels with an opponent at the World Championships. USA Wrestling file photo
There is little doubt that Dennis Hall, through hard work and force of will, made himself one of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers in American history. Right from the start, Dennis Hall did things his own way, and forged a path to greatness in his own unique style.
His record stands for itself. 1995 World champion. 1996 Olympic silver medalist. 1994 World bronze medalist. Three-time U.S. Olympian. Winner of 10 straight U.S. Open titles. Elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011. He was the star of his generation in Greco-Roman, and has passed on his passion and toughness to following generations.
A native of Hartford, Wis., he won three Wisconsin state high school titles and two Junior National Greco-Roman titles while in high school. A top recruit for the University of Wisconsin, Hall decided quickly that he wanted to focus entirely on Greco-Roman, at a time when few young wrestlers made that decision. He remained in Wisconsin, started taking classes at UW-Stevens Point, and arranged for training and competition opportunities. He made friends with top Greco-Roman athletes around the world and often brought them to the USA for training.
Click here for Dennis Hall's Hall of Fame bio
The results were rapid. He made his first Olympic team in 1992 at the age of 21, when he placed eighth. Starting in with that Olympic appearance in Barcelona, Spain, he made eight straight World or Olympic Teams. In 1994 in Tampere, Finland, he broke through with a World bronze medal, then went three years straight earning a medal. In 1995 in Prague, Czech Republic, he became only the second U.S. World Greco-Roman champion, beating reigning World champion Yuri Melnichenko of Kazakhstan in the finals. Making a second Olympic team in 1996, on the home mats in Atlanta, he made the Olympic finals, dropping a tight battle with Melnichenko to earn the silver.
Trivia Question: Name a two-time Olympian and a World champion, both from the USA, who Hall defeated domestically during his prime? (Answer at the bottom of this story)
During the mid-1990’s, Hall trained at times with 1993 and 1995 World freestyle champion Terry Brands, two of the fiercest competitors in USA history. Hall’s 10 straight U.S. Open titles, which began in 1992 and ran through 2001, is an amazing display of domestic dominance. Hall not only made himself great, but many of those in the USA in his weight class also went on to success. Hall won two Pan American Games golds. He won a Pan American Championships title. He claimed multiple medals in top Greco-Roman tournaments all over the world.
After 2000, when he fell short of making a third straight Olympic team, Hall stayed with it for another Olympic cycle, all the while spending time coaching young athletes and running successful camps. In 2004, he made the decision to drop to the lowest weight class, 55 kg for another Olympic run. In the finals of the 2004 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, in a classic finals series with a deciding match that lasted 15 minutes, Hall beat 1996 Olympic silver medalist and friend Brandon Paulson to make a third Olympic team.
His coaching legacy includes an athlete who he brought up through his local club instruction, Ben Provisor, who has made two U.S. Greco-Roman team. For a year, he served as the coach of the U.S. Olympic Education Center’s Greco-Roman program at Northern Michigan. He is still coaching young athletes and helping the U.S. program. The competitive juices never went away, when Hall made a comeback to compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials in Iowa City at 45 years old. All through this journey, Hall battled with every ounce of energy, with a focus on toughness that is still legendary.
Trivia question answer: At one time in his career, Hall regularly battled two-time Olympic Jim Gruenwald and 2006 World champion Joe Warren in his weight class. Hall beat Gruenwald for many years, but Gruenwald turned the tables on him at the 2000 Olympics Trials and for a few years. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Hall and Gruenwald were teammates in different weight classes.
There is little doubt that Dennis Hall, through hard work and force of will, made himself one of the greatest Greco-Roman wrestlers in American history. Right from the start, Dennis Hall did things his own way, and forged a path to greatness in his own unique style.
His record stands for itself. 1995 World champion. 1996 Olympic silver medalist. 1994 World bronze medalist. Three-time U.S. Olympian. Winner of 10 straight U.S. Open titles. Elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011. He was the star of his generation in Greco-Roman, and has passed on his passion and toughness to following generations.
A native of Hartford, Wis., he won three Wisconsin state high school titles and two Junior National Greco-Roman titles while in high school. A top recruit for the University of Wisconsin, Hall decided quickly that he wanted to focus entirely on Greco-Roman, at a time when few young wrestlers made that decision. He remained in Wisconsin, started taking classes at UW-Stevens Point, and arranged for training and competition opportunities. He made friends with top Greco-Roman athletes around the world and often brought them to the USA for training.
Click here for Dennis Hall's Hall of Fame bio
The results were rapid. He made his first Olympic team in 1992 at the age of 21, when he placed eighth. Starting in with that Olympic appearance in Barcelona, Spain, he made eight straight World or Olympic Teams. In 1994 in Tampere, Finland, he broke through with a World bronze medal, then went three years straight earning a medal. In 1995 in Prague, Czech Republic, he became only the second U.S. World Greco-Roman champion, beating reigning World champion Yuri Melnichenko of Kazakhstan in the finals. Making a second Olympic team in 1996, on the home mats in Atlanta, he made the Olympic finals, dropping a tight battle with Melnichenko to earn the silver.
Trivia Question: Name a two-time Olympian and a World champion, both from the USA, who Hall defeated domestically during his prime? (Answer at the bottom of this story)
During the mid-1990’s, Hall trained at times with 1993 and 1995 World freestyle champion Terry Brands, two of the fiercest competitors in USA history. Hall’s 10 straight U.S. Open titles, which began in 1992 and ran through 2001, is an amazing display of domestic dominance. Hall not only made himself great, but many of those in the USA in his weight class also went on to success. Hall won two Pan American Games golds. He won a Pan American Championships title. He claimed multiple medals in top Greco-Roman tournaments all over the world.
After 2000, when he fell short of making a third straight Olympic team, Hall stayed with it for another Olympic cycle, all the while spending time coaching young athletes and running successful camps. In 2004, he made the decision to drop to the lowest weight class, 55 kg for another Olympic run. In the finals of the 2004 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, in a classic finals series with a deciding match that lasted 15 minutes, Hall beat 1996 Olympic silver medalist and friend Brandon Paulson to make a third Olympic team.
His coaching legacy includes an athlete who he brought up through his local club instruction, Ben Provisor, who has made two U.S. Greco-Roman team. For a year, he served as the coach of the U.S. Olympic Education Center’s Greco-Roman program at Northern Michigan. He is still coaching young athletes and helping the U.S. program. The competitive juices never went away, when Hall made a comeback to compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials in Iowa City at 45 years old. All through this journey, Hall battled with every ounce of energy, with a focus on toughness that is still legendary.
Trivia question answer: At one time in his career, Hall regularly battled two-time Olympic Jim Gruenwald and 2006 World champion Joe Warren in his weight class. Hall beat Gruenwald for many years, but Gruenwald turned the tables on him at the 2000 Olympics Trials and for a few years. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Hall and Gruenwald were teammates in different weight classes.
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