#ThrowbackThursday USA Wrestling History Lesson: Townsend Saunders
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Photo courtesy of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Welcome to TheMat.com’s weekly series called USA Wrestling History Lesson. Each week, we will highlight one athlete that has wrapped up his or her wrestling career, sharing the impact that they’ve had on the sport.
This week, we take a look at Townsend Saunders, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, two-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic coach.
Check out the other USA Wrestling History Lessons HERE.
Saunders became prominent in high school when he placed second in the California state championships for Torrance High School. Known then as "Junior Saunders," he went on to Cal-State Bakersfield, where he won the Div. II national title. He transferred to Arizona State, winning two NCAA Div. I All-American honors under the Hall of Fame coach Bobby Douglas, placing second at 142 pounds in 1989 and third at 150 at 1990.
His career really took off after college, when he focused full-time on freestyle wrestling as part of the Sunkist Kids and competed under his given name of Townsend. He made his first Senior World Team in 1991, and followed that up by making the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, placing seventh in the Barcelona Games at 68 kg.
Saunders became a staple on some of the best U.S. men's freestyle teams in history, holding down the 68 kg weight class for the USA for six straight years. He was a member of the 1993 U.S. Senior World Team, which won the team title in Toronto, Canada, as well as the 1995 U.S. Senior World Team, which was team champions in Atlanta, Ga. His best performance at a Senior World Championships was his fourth place in 1993.
Saunders made his second Olympic Team in 1996, and represented the USA on their home mats in Atlanta, Ga. He put together his best performance on the biggest stage, earning a spot in the finals and coming back with an Olympic silver medal.
Other major international freestyle achievements were Pan American Games gold medals in 1991 and 1995, as well as a Goodwill Games gold medal in 1995.
He was part of the most successful married couple in U.S. wrestling history. His wife Tricia Saunders was a four-time World champion and five-time World medalist in women’s freestyle. (This was in the era before women’s wrestling was an Olympic sport). Townsend often helped coach Tricia while she was competing, and they supported each other through their journeys as international wrestling stars.
Townsend went into coaching for a number of years, as an assistant coach with his alma mater Arizona State, and as a coach and Executive Director for the Sunkist Kids. He also became a coach for the USA in women’s freestyle wrestling. He was a coach for the 2003 U.S. Senior Women’s World Team, which won seven medals in seven weight classes at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In 2004, the first year that women’s wrestling was in the Olympic Games, both Townsend Saunders and Tricia Saunders were Olympic coaches for the U.S. women’s team. With both Saunders coaching alongside National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner, the USA had its first two women Olympic wrestling medalists, silver medalist Sara McMann and bronze medalist Patricia Miranda. Townsend was named 2004 USA Wrestling Women’s Coach of the Year.
Townsend and Tricia also made history as the first husband-and-wife couple to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tricia became the first women inducted, when she was enshrined in 2006.and Townsend became a Hall of Fame Distinguished Member in 2019.
Welcome to TheMat.com’s weekly series called USA Wrestling History Lesson. Each week, we will highlight one athlete that has wrapped up his or her wrestling career, sharing the impact that they’ve had on the sport.
This week, we take a look at Townsend Saunders, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, two-time Olympian and 2004 Olympic coach.
Check out the other USA Wrestling History Lessons HERE.
Saunders became prominent in high school when he placed second in the California state championships for Torrance High School. Known then as "Junior Saunders," he went on to Cal-State Bakersfield, where he won the Div. II national title. He transferred to Arizona State, winning two NCAA Div. I All-American honors under the Hall of Fame coach Bobby Douglas, placing second at 142 pounds in 1989 and third at 150 at 1990.
His career really took off after college, when he focused full-time on freestyle wrestling as part of the Sunkist Kids and competed under his given name of Townsend. He made his first Senior World Team in 1991, and followed that up by making the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, placing seventh in the Barcelona Games at 68 kg.
Saunders became a staple on some of the best U.S. men's freestyle teams in history, holding down the 68 kg weight class for the USA for six straight years. He was a member of the 1993 U.S. Senior World Team, which won the team title in Toronto, Canada, as well as the 1995 U.S. Senior World Team, which was team champions in Atlanta, Ga. His best performance at a Senior World Championships was his fourth place in 1993.
Saunders made his second Olympic Team in 1996, and represented the USA on their home mats in Atlanta, Ga. He put together his best performance on the biggest stage, earning a spot in the finals and coming back with an Olympic silver medal.
Other major international freestyle achievements were Pan American Games gold medals in 1991 and 1995, as well as a Goodwill Games gold medal in 1995.
He was part of the most successful married couple in U.S. wrestling history. His wife Tricia Saunders was a four-time World champion and five-time World medalist in women’s freestyle. (This was in the era before women’s wrestling was an Olympic sport). Townsend often helped coach Tricia while she was competing, and they supported each other through their journeys as international wrestling stars.
Townsend went into coaching for a number of years, as an assistant coach with his alma mater Arizona State, and as a coach and Executive Director for the Sunkist Kids. He also became a coach for the USA in women’s freestyle wrestling. He was a coach for the 2003 U.S. Senior Women’s World Team, which won seven medals in seven weight classes at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In 2004, the first year that women’s wrestling was in the Olympic Games, both Townsend Saunders and Tricia Saunders were Olympic coaches for the U.S. women’s team. With both Saunders coaching alongside National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner, the USA had its first two women Olympic wrestling medalists, silver medalist Sara McMann and bronze medalist Patricia Miranda. Townsend was named 2004 USA Wrestling Women’s Coach of the Year.
Townsend and Tricia also made history as the first husband-and-wife couple to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tricia became the first women inducted, when she was enshrined in 2006.and Townsend became a Hall of Fame Distinguished Member in 2019.
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