DAVE SCHULTZ
NCAA, NATIONAL, & WORLD CHAMP
Early In The Sport
Dave Schultz spent the majority of his childhood in Palo Alto, California where he transformed from a pudgy, goofy kid hampered by dyslexia, into a 17-year-old prodigy, thrilling Russian crowds at the notoriously competitive Tbilisi tournament. Dave was not a great athlete. But, he pursued the technical aspects of wrestling with the intellectual vigor of a Stanford professor (where he would later spend three years as an assistant coach).
Armed with humility, a huge smile, and a propensity for Eastern European languages, Dave gravitated towards the best wrestling in the world, wherever that may have been. He engaged and disarmed world-class athletes and coaches with his light-hearted banter, then soaked up whatever knowledge they were willing to share. In 1978 Dave won a California High School State Championship, in 1982 He won an NCAA title for the University of Oklahoma and in 1983 he dismantled his Soviet opponent to become a World Champion, thus reaching the pinnacle of the sport.
At the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, California, Schultz quickly became a media favorite. He played with reporters and captured the fascination of Americans with humor, punctuated by his unique insights into wrestling and life; then made them squirm as he twisted his opponents into alarming positions that didn't quite seem possible. The building shook with intensity as Dave methodically worked his way through the Gold Medal match virtually uncontested. He capped the moment by blowing kisses from center-mat to his young wife Nancy, who was beaming with pride. As the referee raised Dave's hand in victory; an American legend was born.
An Accomplished Career
Over the next 12 years, Dave became one of the most decorated American wrestlers of all time, winning 10 National Open titles and 7 World Championship medals. But, what set this man apart from other great champions and elevated him into the Pantheon of wrestling immortality, were the things he was doing off the mat. Whether in a room full of foreign dignitaries or a Moscow sauna with five Russian janitors, Dave was the person that everyone was drawn to. And he achieved this dynamic, not by touting his own impressive accomplishments, but with effortless diplomacy born out of a genuine curiosity about other people and their experiences throughout the world.
Athlete, Coach & Leader
He possessed an innate ability to listen, to connect, and to make people feel understood. Throughout his short life, Dave applied his unique interpersonal skills to further his impassioned agenda — making the United States Wrestling Team the best team in the world. Part elementary school teacher part Russian gangster, Dave used his relationships within the international wrestling community to create a free exchange of knowledge between Eastern Europe (the Mecca of wrestling technique) and U.S. Athletes; something that had never been successfully achieved before, or since. From 1988 to 1996, with Dave Schultz acting as athlete, coach, and all-around spiritual leader, the U.S. Wrestling Team steadily rose through the world ranks until ultimately capturing a first World Title in 1993, and then another in 1995. Dave was a true champion in every sense of the word.
Unfortunately, this meteoric rise to world dominance would be cut short by three shots of a gun, wielded by an eccentric madman caught in a downward spiral of drug addiction and paranoid schizophrenia. On January 26, 1996, Gold Medalist wrestler David Leslie Schultz was murdered by John E. du Pont, an eccentric heir to the du Pont chemical fortune. America stayed pinned to their televisions as du Pont holed up in his sprawling white-pillared mansion and a three-day police standoff played out in prime time. Less than a mile away a wife and two small children wept, struggling to comprehend new lives without a father.
An entire community of wrestlers, throughout the world, were brought to their knees mourning the loss of a champion, a friend, and quite possibly the most influential individual in the history of their sport.
The Legacy to Remember
Dave's death proved catastrophic to everyone whose life he had touched both on and off the mat. Dave has been posthumously honored in almost every way possible. The Dave Schultz Wrestling Club was founded by his wife, Nancy. The Dave Schultz Memorial International is held every year at the U.S. Training Center. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame honors outstanding high school senior citizen athletes with the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award. He has been inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the California Hall of Fame and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame to name a few.
Today, Dave's adult children, Xander and Danny, remain wonderfully surrounded by the wrestling family. Nancy Schultz continues to be active in the international wrestling world and joins us as an equity partner here at RUDIS.
DAVE SCHULTZ TECHNIQUE
Wrestling Moves with Dave Schultz: Olympic Gold Medalist, World Champion
DAVE SCHULTZ GEAR
In 1984 Dave Schultz proudly represented the United States on the worlds biggest stage, winning gold in Los Angeles. RUDIS is proud to pay tribute to a true legend. Wear Dave Schultz gear and apparel and bring out your inner champion.
Dave Schultz LA Gold Crewneck
Dave Schultz LA 84 T-Shirt
DSWC Heavyweight Crewneck
Proudly keeping the Schultz legacy alive with our signature Sly Fox line
Dave entered a hostile foreign land during the heart of the cold war, traveling to Russia over 30 times in his career. In spite of these events and the fact that he was "American", the Soviets hosts and fans could not help but pay homage to greatness. They would yell "Khitryy Lis" (Kee-tra Lees), or "Sly Fox" in admiration from the rafters. In 1984 Dave Schultz proudly represented the United States on the world's biggest stage, winning gold in Los Angeles. RUDIS is proud to pay tribute to a true legend. Wear Sly Fox and Dave Schultz gear and apparel and bring out your inner champion.
SF-Tbilisi 2.0 USA Edition Adult Wrestling Shoes
SF-Tbilisi 2.0 Midnight/Chrome Adult Wrestling Shoes
SF-Tbilisi 2.0 Adult Wrestling Shoes - DSWC
SF-Tbilisi 2.0 USA Edition Youth Wrestling Shoes - Classic/Navy
1995 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
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