Wayne Baughman (January 4, 1941 – February 16, 2022) 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 ...

, coach and ultra-endurance athlete. He competed in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

, the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

, and the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Biography

He was born and raised in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

. He attended John Marshall Jr-Sr High School (1953–59) and the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

(1959–1963). He earned letters in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

wrestling 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 ...

in high school. Baughman concluded his 27th and final year as the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

’s Head Wrestling Coach, as well as his 50-year involvement as a competitor,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and administrator in Wrestling in 2007. From 1963 through 1972, he made three

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 ...

teams, eight World teams (including a

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

double in 1965), and won 16 national titles (he never placed lower than third at a national event). He is also the only person who has won national championships in the four recognized wrestling styles ( collegiate, freestyle, Greco-Roman, and

Sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , oly ...

), and one of only two wrestlers to have placed in the Olympics and/or World Championships in the three international styles (FS, GR, & Sombo). Baughman elected to go with coaches Port Robertson and Tommy Evans at OU. The four years he was at OU, the team won 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 ...

Team Championship twice and took second behind OSU the other two years. As an individual, Baughman won the NCAA Championship once and finished 2nd twice. He also won the Big 8 Championship twice, was 2nd once and received both the Most Falls Trophy and Outstanding Wrestler Award his senior season (1963). Baughman was on three Olympic teams (1964, 1968, and 1972) and eight World Championship teams. He was head coach of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team. He also coached five world Championship teams including both FS and GR. His record in 25 National Championships is 16 first-place finishes, 7 seconds, and 2 third-place finishes. Baughman's first

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

assignment was to

Tinker AFB Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, originally ...

, Oklahoma. He then spent five years as an instructor and coach at the

United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School The U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School—usually referred to as "the Prep School" or "The P School"—was established in May 1961. The school's founder and first commander was Colonel Lee Charles Black. It is located on the campus of th ...

, five years as Chief of Air Force Programs (Athletic Director of the entire Air Force) at HQ USAF, then nine years as an instructor and head wrestling coach at the

. After retiring from USAF active duty, he served as Director of Operations and Assistant General Manager for the 1986 World Cycling Championships, wrote the book ''Wrestling On and Off the Mat'' () and did speaking engagements and Clinics. Baughman returned to the head wrestling coach position as a civilian. He served as an Athletes Representative on many wrestling committees. Kyle Klingman, associate director at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum, documented the impact of Baughman's career by stating: Baughman is one of 33 native Oklahomans who have been inducted as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Mike Chapman, Executive Director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, wrote a book called ''Wrestling Tough'' (). He described Baughman saying he: After completing his competitive wrestling career, Baughman became involved in ultra-endurance events. He has completed the

Pikes Peak Marathon The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon is a trail running competition that begins at the base of Pikes Peak, in Manitou Springs, Colorado, and climbs over 7,815 feet (2382 m) to the top of the 14,115 foot (4302 m) peak. Since 1956, the event takes pl ...

five times, the

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the Leadville 100 Mile Trail run twice, The "Bad Water 146" mile run, the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim and Back Again, the Hardscrabble Pass 100 mile Bicycle. Baughman is included in another Mike Chapman book, ''The Toughest Men in Sports'' (), and was the model for the man at the base of the Air Force Monument in downtown Oklahoma City. Baughman died in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, on February 16, 2022, at the age of 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baughman, R. Wayne 1941 births 2022 deaths Sportspeople from Oklahoma City Military personnel from Oklahoma Oklahoma Sooners wrestlers Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1972 Summer Olympics American male sport wrestlers American sambo practitioners Olympic wrestlers for the United States Air Force Falcons wrestling coaches Pan American Games medalists in wrestling Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Wrestlers at the 1967 Pan American Games