Bobby Douglas

AMES — Bobby Douglas, one of the most influential figures in collegiate wrestling history and Iowa State head wrestling coach from 1993-2006, passed away on Monday at the age of 83.

Douglas’ tenure as the Cyclone leader produced 52 All-America performances, 10 individual NCAA titles, three runner-up NCAA finishes and 198 dual victories.

He was inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.

A native of Bridgeport, Ohio, Douglas had already established his legacy before arriving In Ames. The first black U.S. wrestler at the Olympics (1964, 1968), Douglas had a fourth-place featherweight finish at the 1964 Tokyo Games and captained the U.S. Olympic team in Mexico City (1968).

After beginning his coaching career in 1973 at Cal-Santa Barbara, Douglas spent 19 years as the head coach at Arizona State (1975-92), leading the Sun Devils to incredible heights, including a national title in 1988 in Hilton Coliseum. It marked just the third time since 1968 where either Iowa State or Iowa weren’t crowned NCAA champions.

It was a major coup when ISU convinced Douglas to leave ASU and take over the reins of the Cyclone wrestling program prior to the 1992-93 season.

Seven times ISU finished in the top-6 at the NCAA Championship, including the three runner-up finishes (1996, 2000, 2002).

Douglas was twice named Big Eight/12 Coach of the Year (1993, 2000), was the 2000 NWCA National Coach of the Year and the USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year in 2004.

Douglas resigned after the 2005-06 season.

One of only four coaches in wrestling history to win over 400 career dual matches, Douglas’ contributions go far beyond collegiate wrestling. He was a loyal and dedicated coach for USA Wrestling for many years. He was the head coach for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1992, as the U.S. team had six medalists, including four golds. He was an assistant coach on six U.S. Olympic teams (1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2004), helping Cyclones Kevin Jackson and Sanderson win Gold Medals.

He was also the head coach for a pair of U.S. World Teams (1989, 1991).

The 1992 USA Wrestling Man of the Year, Douglas is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame, NAIA Hall of Fame, West Liberty Hall of Fame and Arizona State Hall of Fame.