Tadaaki Hatta came to the United States from Tokyo, Japan in 1961 and has become legendary not only for his wrestling prowess, but for his indefatigable pursuit of excellence in coaching a variety of sports teams and his artistic endeavors.

He became an NCAA champion, two-time All-American and two-time Big Eight champion for Oklahoma State University and helped OSU win NCAA titles in 1964 and 1966, while finishing second in 1965.

Tadaaki has taught and coached wrestling at every level, from youth clubs to the Olympics. He was on the U.S. men’s freestyle coaching staff for the Olympics in 1988, 1992 and 1996 and the World Championships from 1979 to 1995. He coached the Japanese Olympic team in 1968 and 1984 and the Mexican Olympic team in 1972.

He was on the coaching staff for the U.S. Women’s team for the 2004 Olympics and volunteer head coach of the 2008 U.S. Women’s team. He was also the head coach of the 1998 Men’s Cadet World Team, the 1999 Women’s Cadet World Team, the Women’s Junior World Team in 2001 and 2002 and the 2002 Women’s University Team.

Tadaaki also is an assistant coach for the St. Ignatius High School rugby team, which won the Ohio state championship and high school national championship in 2022. He was an art teacher, wrestling coach and trainer from 1972-2011 at five high schools in Ohio.

He graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1966 and earned a master’s degree in art from Northwestern University. Three of his paintings and a sculpture are displayed at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame while one of his ink drawings is part of the OSU Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Tadaaki received the Gallagher Award from OSU wrestling in 2019 and was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the Oklahoma State College of Arts & Sciences in 2022.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is humbled to honor a true renaissance man who has left a truly indelible mark on wrestling and the art world: Distinguished Member of the Class of 2024, Tadaaki Hatta.

Distinguished Member: Tadaaki Hatta

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