Steven Howard "Steve" Fraser (born March 23, 1958) is an American
Greco-Roman wrestler
Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling ( Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mo ...
and coach. He was the
1984 Olympic Games gold medalist in
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling (Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mod ...
, in the 90 kg weight class. Fraser's gold medal was the first ever for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in Greco-Roman wrestling.
A native of
Hazel Park, Michigan
Hazel Park is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As a part of Metro Detroit, the city shares its southern border with the city of Detroit. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the popula ...
, Fraser was a Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state wrestling champion. In college he was a two-time
All-American wrestler, wrestling at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. Fraser's gold medal was the first ever Olympic gold in Greco-Roman wrestling for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The next night following Fraser's gold medal performance,
Jeff Blatnick
Jeffrey Carl "Jeff" Blatnick (July 26, 1957 – October 24, 2012) was an American super heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler and sports commentator. He won NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979 and won the Olympic gol ...
won a second gold medal for the U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic team. Fraser served as coach of the U.S. Greco Roman team from 1997 to 2014.
Rulon Gardner
Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler. He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's three-time reigning gold medalist Aleksan ...
who was a gold medalist at the
2000 Olympic Games
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
, credits Fraser's instruction as a large part of his wrestling success. The year Fraser competed at the Olympics in 1984, the United States won 9 gold medals in wrestling, the largest American total in a single Olympics since 1896.
Fraser 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 in 1994 and the
Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, presid ...
in 2008.
Ex-Lions Moore, Murray among Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inductees
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References
External links
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1958 births
Living people
American male sport wrestlers
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
Wrestlers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
University of Michigan alumni
People from Hazel Park, Michigan
Pan American Games medalists in wrestling
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Wrestlers at the 1983 Pan American Games
20th-century American people
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