Olympian, World Medalist, Hall Of Fame Wrestler And Coach Bobby Douglas Passed Away At Age 83

Bobby Douglas, 83, a two-time Olympian, two-time World medalist, six-time U.S. World Team member, and National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member for his lifetime accomplishments as a wrestler and coach, passed away from natural causes on Monday in Iowa.

Douglas was a trailblazer who left his mark on USA Wrestling history in numerous ways. He was a dedicated husband to his wife, Jackie. The couple had one son, Bobby Jr. No plans for a memorial service for Douglas will be made available. The family is appreciative of the love and support for Bobby and asks for privacy during this time.

Douglas represented the U.S. at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico. He was the first black American to wrestle in the Olympic Games, and was captain of the 1968 Olympic Team, which was also a first. He competed at six Senior World Championships from 1963 to 1970, with appearances in both Greco-Roman and men’s freestyle. He collected two men’s freestyle World medals—silver in 1966 in Toledo, Ohio, and bronze in 1970 in Edmonton, Canada.

Prior to his Senior level run of success, Douglas was a 1962 NAIA champion and 1963 NCAA runner-up at West Liberty State. He transferred to Oklahoma State for the 1964-65 season, where he won the Big 8 Championships. As a prep, Douglas was a two-time Ohio state champion for Bridgeport High School.

Douglas transitioned to coaching in 1973, leading UC Santa Barbara, before moving to Arizona State the following year. He led the Sun Devils to new heights over 18 years as head coach, earning the program’s only NCAA title in 1988, nine conference titles and nine top-10 NCAA finishes, plus coaching two individual NCAA champions—Eddie Urbano (1985) and Dan St. John (1989, 1990)—37 conference champions and 58 All-Americans. Douglas added 14 seasons as head coach at Iowa State from 1992-2006, coaching individuals to 10 NCAA titles, 31 conference titles and 52 NCAA All-America honors.

Douglas coached many notable athletes, none more prominent than current Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, who still stands as the only wrestler to go undefeated in college while winning four NCAA individual titles with a 159-0 record. He helped coach Sanderson to a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

On the USA Wrestling side as a coach, Douglas was an assistant for 10 World and Olympic Teams, as well as the men’s freestyle head coach at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. He was named USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year in 1992 and 2004.

In 1987, Douglas was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the highest honor a U.S. wrestler can achieve outside of the competition mats. He is also a member of the NAIA Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, the Ohio Hall of Fame and the Arizona State Hall of Fame.