Barry Alan Davis (born September 17, 1961) is an
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
silver medalist, a World bronze and silver medalist, and a Pan American Games gold medalist in
freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling ...
. From 1994 until 2018, he served as head wrestling coach at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
.
Early life
Davis was born in
Bloomfield, Iowa
Bloomfield is a city in Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Davis County.
Geography
Bloomfield is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, near the Missouri border.
Bloomfiel ...
to Elmer and Carol Davis, and grew up in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...
. He credits the support and work ethic of his parents as contributing to his drive to succeed in athletics. Davis attended
Cedar Rapids Prairie High School
Prairie High School is a state school, public high school in the College Community School District in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school opened in 1956 after the consolidation of multiple schools in the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area. Prairie High Sc ...
, where he was a three-time state wrestling champion (the second individual from the Cedar Rapids metro area to achieve that distinction), and earned a career prep record of 102-6-1.
College career
At the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
, Davis wrestled on coach
Dan Gable
Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, ...
's team. During his college career, Davis was a four time NCAA Division I All-American, and a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion . He was named NCAA Outstanding Wrestler in 1985, and was also named the
Big Ten Athlete of the Year The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the Big Ten Conference. It was first awarded in 1982, with winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submi ...
that same year. Barry Davis' career record at Iowa was 162-9-1. As of 2020, he continues to hold University of Iowa records for season victories (46 in 1982), and career victories (162).
International competition
Davis was champion in freestyle wrestling (125.4 lb) at the
1983 Pan American Games
The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...
, and a member of the 1983 U.S. World wrestling team. In 1984, he took a redshirt year from college athletics, to compete on the
1984 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, winning a silver medal at the
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Davis competed in the World championships again in 1986 and 1987, earning a bronze medal and a silver, respectively. In 1988 he was once more a member of the
U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, but did not earn a medal.
Coaching career
Barry Davis served as graduate assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 1986–1987, and was an assistant coach from 1988–1992. In 1992, he attempted a to make his third
U.S. Olympic team
United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
American athletes have w ...
, but did not achieve a place on the team. Davis had been head wrestling coach at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
since 1994. On March 5, 2018, Davis announced that he would resign as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Davis married
Nan Doak in 1986. Nan also attended University of Iowa where she was a six-time
All-American in
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
and
cross country prior to becoming a United States national champion in the
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
.
Athletic achievements
* Three time Iowa state high school champion in wrestling
* 1982
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I Champion, 118 lb class
* Two-time
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I Champion, 126 lb class (1983, 1985)
*
1983 Pan American Games
The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...
champion, freestyle, 125.4 lb
* 1983 Member of U.S. World wrestling team
* Four-time NCAA Division I All-American
* 1984
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
silver medalist, 125.5 lb
* 1985
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Athlete of the Year
* 1985 NCAA Championships Outstanding Wrestler
* 1986 World championship bronze medalist, 125.4 lb
* 1987 World championship silver medalist, 125.4 lb
* 1988 Member of U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team
Recognition
* Davis is a member of the
National Iowa Varsity Club's
Athletic Hall of Fame, inducted in 1998.
* In 2007, Davis was inducted into the
National Wrestling Hall of Fame
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
History
The museum was awarded to Stillw ...
as a Distinguished Member.
See also
*
Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling
The University of Iowa men's wrestling program is one of the most successful athletic programs in NCAA Division I. The University of Iowa Hawkeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. Iowa is second in NCAA history with 24 National Championshi ...
Sources
*
*
References
External links
*
Barry Davisat databaseOlympics.com
Nan Doak-Davis and Barry Davisarticle from the Des Moines register
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Barry
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in wrestling
Wrestlers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Wrestlers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
American male sport wrestlers
Iowa Hawkeyes wrestlers
Sportspeople from Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1961 births
Living people
World Wrestling Championships medalists
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games medalists in wrestling
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Wrestlers at the 1983 Pan American Games
Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners
Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games
20th-century American people