THE LAST WORD
Douglas story is inspirational C
OLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – When I first sat down to start interviewing Bobby Douglas for a book on his life and legacy, I knew he had a compelling story. I knew about his Hall of Fame career that included great runs as the head coach at Arizona State and
Iowa State. I just had no idea how compelling his story was until we start-
ed talking this past June. His amazing story is being told in the upcoming book that I
wrote – “Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend.” The book is now on sale. To order the book, visit the website:
www.bobbydouglasbook.com Douglas overcame enormous obstacles to become a leg-
endary figure in the sport of wrestling. He grew up as a poor, young black kid living with his grand-
parents in a coal-mining community in eastern Ohio. The pres- sures he dealt with in what looked like a hopeless situation are hard for many people to fathom. It is hard to believe there were times where he wasn’t sure
where his next meal was coming from. Most years, his family was not even able to celebrate Christmas because there wasn’t enough money to buy pres- ents. He was a trailblazer for black athletes and coaches in the
sport of wrestling. He was a two-time Olympian in wrestling. He won World sil-
ver and bronze medals in freestyle. He was the No. 1 seed at the 1965 NCAA tournament for Oklahoma State, but an injury knocked him out of the tourna- ment. A year later, he had the lead late in the gold-medal match at the 1966 World Championships before suffering a heart- breaking setback. In this book, you will learn about the pressures he endured at
the 1968 Olympic Games when black athletes were being urged to engage in protests or boycotts in Mexico City. The best wrestlers in United States history – Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, Dave Schultz, John Smith, Kevin Jackson, Bruce Baumgartner, Kenny Monday and Zeke Jones – were among those who were positively impacted by his coaching and guid- ance. He has impacted countless others at his wrestling camps and with the technique books he has authored. You will learn about how he built the program at Arizona
State, and how he led the Sun Devils to the only NCAA team title by a school west of the Rocky Mountains. You will learn about the obstacles the 1988 NCAA champi-
onship team from Arizona State overcame, and you will learn how close-knit that great team was. You also will see how he recruited and coached Iowa State’s
42 USA Wrestler story.
Cael Sanderson to the greatest career in NCAA history. You also will learn how he kept Sanderson on track to win an Olympic gold medal. He dealt with his share of tragedies – including the untimely
Craig Sesker
deaths of close friends Dave Schultz and Rick Sanders, and the suicide of star recruit Bobby Janisse at Arizona State. He’s a man of great integrity. He ran clean programs at Arizona State and Iowa State, nearly all of his athletes graduat- ed, and he cared deeply about the wrestlers he coached. You will learn about what led to his departures from head coaching positions at Arizona State and Iowa State. Douglas was driven to see the sport grow, and he remains adamant that others be given the same opportunity to learn the same valuable life lessons from the sport that he did. And you will learn why he calls wrestling his best friend. The story of Bobby Douglas truly is an American success
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