Robert Pearce (February 29, 1908 – March 15, 1996) was an American

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

and olympic champion. He competed at the 1932 Olympic Games 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' ...

, where he won a gold medal in freestyle bantamweight.

Early years

Pearce initially took up wrestling during his youth to strengthen himself physically from a constant struggle with allergies. While in high school in

Cushing, Oklahoma Cushing ( sac, Koshineki, iow, Amína P^óp^oye Chína, ''meaning: "Soft-seat town"'') is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,826 at the time of the 2010 census, a decline of 6.5% since 8,371 in 2000. Cushing w ...

, Pearce had three undefeated seasons and won three

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

state championships.

College

Pearce wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma A&M (now called Oklahoma State), helping extend head coach Edward C. Gallagher's winning streak to 70 consecutive matches. Overall, Pearce was 60-4-1, winning the

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 ...

title in 1931 and finishing as runner-up in 1932.

International

Following his runner-up finish as a senior in 1932, Pearce responded by winning the gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics, held in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. His gold medal in 1932 was the first ever for an Oklahoman wrestler. In 1981, Pearce 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.Robert Pearce - National Wrestling Hall of Fame
''nwhof.org''. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

References

1908 births 1996 deaths Wrestlers at the 1932 Summer Olympics American male sport wrestlers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics 20th-century American people {{US-Olympic-medalist-stub