John Smith may have a common name, but his career as a wrestler was anything but standard.
Among his honors: two Olympic gold medals; six straight world titles; the coveted Sullivan Award recognizing the nation’s top amateur athlete; Goodwill Games and Pan American Games gold medals; five U.S. National Freestyle titles; two NCAA championships; and two individual Oklahoma Class 4A state titles.
He was also named the best technical wrestler in the world and the “Man of the Year” by USA Wrestling magazine and received the “Outstanding Wrestler of the Year” award from FILA, the international governing body for amateur wrestling. Smith is also a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
He found great success as an athlete, yes, but Smith also knows that in the past, many wrestlers simply didn’t have the chance to shoot for such accomplishments. And that’s why he likes what Real Pro Wrestling is offering competitors.
“It was a little different for me, because I was winning and I had a lot of opportunities,” said Smith, now head coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University. “Real Pro Wrestling is keeping athletes in the sport a little longer and gives them the opportunity to work for world and Olympic championships.”
Smith has also found equal success as a coach. With a career record of 220-25-3 in his 14 seasons at OSU, he recently guided the Cowboys to their fourth (and third consecutive) NCAA Div. I team championship. The 33 individual championships his wrestlers have posted are the most ever by any school in one sport.
He also led the 2000 Olympic freestyle team in Sydney, Australia, and saw three of his former wrestlers (Daniel Cormier, Eric Guerrero and Jamill Kelly) compete on the 2004 U.S. freestyle team in Athens, Greece. Smith has been honored as Big 12 Coach of the Year six times since the conference was formed in 1997.
Now several of his protégés are taking the mat in Real Pro Wrestling competition.
“They’ve enjoyed the competition; those that won, obviously, enjoyed it more,” Smith said. “They like the concept and, obviously, they like the money
“(RPW) has a solid foundation in what they’re doing, they’re working hard to sell the product, and it can definitely help wrestlers continue training. It can help to build a pool of U.S. wrestlers.
“The people behind Real Pro Wrestling are excited about what they’re doing,” he said. “They’re taking the right steps for longevity, and that’s what makes me excited. If wrestling people support it, we’ve got a great opportunity for wrestling to succeed.”
Smith said he also believes that Real Pro Wrestling is giving America what the country needs.
“These are the individuals and athletes we should be looking up to,” he said. “These are role models.
“In sports in general, we as parents and we as fans have allowed ourselves to give more respect to individuals who are not living as we want our children to live. We’re off-base on who we should be seeing as role models. We’re idolizing those who make the most money.”
For the most part, Smith said, RPW athletes are educated men competing in a sport where the only thing they get is a great satisfaction of preparing for the opportunity to win.
“That,” Smith said, “is what I consider a role model.”
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