WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Scherr still making impact
By Gary Abbott Wrestling stars often have continued to
have a major impact on the sport after their competitive careers have completed. Many have going into coaching and mentoring the next generation of wrestling athletes. Others have made a difference in a volunteer capacity, giving time and expertise to wrestling in a vari- ety of ways. There are a select few who have been
able to use their skills in management and business to impact wrestling as part of their professional careers. 1988 Olympian and World medalist Jim Scherr moved directly from the mat into an exec- utive position within wrestling and has been making a difference ever since. Twin brothers Jim and Bill Scherr learned about the sport growing up in Mobridge, S.D, and both developed into nationally-respected high school wrestlers. “The individual nature of wrestling appealed to me. It was individual. You won or lost on your own merits. If you put in hard work and effort, you could become successful,” said Jim. Having his brother, Bill, along with him
on his wrestling journey was important to his improvement as an athlete. “It was a built-in workout partner who
shared the same goals. It was somebody there to push you to get better. Our sup- port of each other was critical to both of our success,” said Jim. The Scherr twins attended the University of Nebraska, where they were NCAA champions side-by-side in 1984, Jim at 177 pounds and Bill at 190 pounds. Part of the decision to go to Nebraska was the fact that National Freestyle Coach Stan Dziedzic and the AAU National program were based in Lincoln, allowing the Scherrs to train with the nation’s best freestyle wrestlers while they were still in college. International wrestling was always one of their goals. “We wrestled freestyle and Greco-
Roman all through high school and col- lege. We always wanted to wrestle in the Olympics and the World Championships,” said Jim. After college, the Scherr twins contin-
ued their success on the World level. They were both members of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team which competed in
12 USA Wrestler
believed that the staff at USA Wrestling could make a difference. I wanted to pro- vide for future athletes what I had hoped and dreamed for when I was an athlete,” said Scherr. For the next decade, Scherr’s leader-
ship helped USA Wrestling to reach new levels of success, in areas including ath- letic performance, membership growth and financial management. “We were able to do a number of great
things as a team for wrestling. We formed an alliance with the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame to complete a capital campaign that brought consider- able resources into the sport. “We were able to succeed internation-
Jim Scherr served as USA Wrestling’s Executive Director before becoming Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Seoul, South Korea, where Bill won a bronze medal at 220 pounds and Jim placed fifth at 198 pounds. “The Olympics always fascinated me,
going back to when I saw the 1972 Olympics at the age of 11. To qualify for the team and to walk into that stadium as part of the U.S. delegation was amazing. I was extremely proud of being part of that experience,” said Jim. Jim also won three World medals, and
won titles in many of the most important events in the sport. “We wrestled with a great bunch of
guys. It was when U.S. wrestling was at its peak around the world. It was a won- derful opportunity to see the world. I am proud of being Outstanding Wrestler at the Freestyle Nationals and the OW at five international events in 1989, as well as my two World Cup titles,” he said. While competing internationally, Jim
also earned an MBA from Northwestern’s prestigious Kellogg Graduate School of Management. This came in handy in late 1990, when Scherr retired from competi- tion to become the Executive Director of USA Wrestling. At 28, he was the youngest Chief Executive of a National Governing Body in the Olympic family. “There was so much to be accom- plished and so much opportunity. I
ally, winning a number of World Championships and competing well at the Olympic Games. We were also able to increase the popularity and following for international wrestling,” said Jim. In late 2000, Scherr accepted a Senior management position at the U.S. Olympic Committee focused on Sport Resources. In 2003, he was named Interim Chief Executive Officer for the USOC, then had the interim title removed in 2005. He guided the USOC staff through 2009. While at the USOC, wrestling was one
of the Olympic sports which was impact- ed by his efforts. The USOC had some of its greatest Olympic performances during Scherr’s tenure there. The 2002 Winter Olympic Team won an unprecedented 34 medals in winning the medal count Salt Lake City. The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing, China claimed 112 medals to win the medal count. The U.S. also had strong efforts at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. “We had tremendous success in sport performance, something I look back on with pride. We also had a more efficient organization than it had ever been. We reached record goals in revenue, both in gross revenue and net revenue,” said Scherr. In 2009, Scherr formed a new compa-
ny, 776 Original Marketing in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he serves as Chief Executive Officer. The company takes its name and inspiration from the first Continued on page 13
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