Distinguished Member: Greg Wojciechowski

Greg Wojciechowski is one of the most versatile and dominant American heavyweights in wrestling history. A three-time NCAA finalist and 1971 national champion for the University of Toledo, he compiled a 55-2 career collegiate record, with his only losses coming in the NCAA finals to legends Jess Lewis and Chris Taylor, a Hall of Fame Distinguished Member. Competing when freshmen were not eligible, Wojciechowski won three Mid-American Conference titles. He was coached during his career by Distinguished Members Joe Scalzo and Dick Wilson and Meritorious Official honoree Dick Torio.

By age 21, Wojciechowski had already claimed national titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He would go on to win 13 AAU national titles—eight in freestyle and five in Greco-Roman—while also representing the U.S. at the World Championships, placing fourth in 1970 and fifth in 1978. He earned multiple international medals, including gold and silver at the 1975 Pre- Olympic Games and podium finishes at the World Cup in 1974 and 1976.

He was the last American to win the Olympic Trials in both styles in the same year, defeating notable competitors such as Jimmy Jackson and Pete Lee in 1980. That same year, he also beat 20-year-old Bruce Baumgartner—who would later become the most decorated wrestler in U.S. history. Although selected for the 1980 Olympic team, Wojciechowski was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games.

Wojciechowski was a two-time Ohio high school state champion and the first Junior World Team Trials freestyle champion in 1967. He later coached high school and youth wrestling for over 15 years, while also spending a decade in the professional wrestling ring as “The Great Wojo.”

A longtime high school teacher and counselor with a master’s in guidance and counseling, he is a member of the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame, the University of Toledo Varsity T Hall of Fame, and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.

For his collegiate and international excellence, pioneering versatility, and lifelong commitment to wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame proudly welcomes Greg Wojciechowski as a Distinguished Member.