Bill SmithCEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Thanks to UNI's only Olympic gold medalist, current and generations of future Panthers will be reminded of what can be achieved with hard work.
At 88 years old, former wrestler Bill Smith donated his Olympic gold medal to UNI with the intention to inspire all those who pass through the halls of the West Gym.
"I just wanted to make sure it was some place where it will be seen," said Bill Smith. "After 50 years, people forget who you are."
UNI wrestling's head coach Doug Schwab wants to use Smith as an example for his wrestlers and the display as a way to honor his legacy
"Even though it was won over in Helsinki, it was still made in the West Gym," Schwab said. "I think that's the connection and taking it back to the start and to inspire, not just wrestling, but anyone who comes through the hall. Track is in here and softball. It's to inspire the next generation. I couldn't be more pleased that it will be the resting spot for it. It will inspire me every day too and lets us dream a little bit."
The display will be unveiled 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Iowa State vs. UNI wrestling dual. The medal's final resting spot in the West Gym was chosen with care.
"You walk out of the weight room, and it's right there," Schwab said. "You walk in the wrestling room, and there it is. It serves as a reminder that guys can reach the pinnacle of their sport, and they can do it in the West Gym. I love the sport and the history of the sport. Having that kind of piece of history to me is that sense of pride, and it's going to be right out there."
Smith came to Iowa State Teachers College from Council Bluffs, where he finished second and third at the state prep meet competing for Thomas Jefferson High School.
"It's so much about what you put in and if you're going to stay consistent with those things and believe in the work," Schwab said. "Having those kinds of examples that you can point to and that guy got to the absolute pinnacle of our sport and not be a state champion speaks volumes to his work ethic and what he was willing to do and not be deterred and let it define him."
Smith went on to win NCAA titles in 1949 and 1950 and finished his career undefeated with a record of 52-0-2.
"The growth (from high school to college) has got to be contributed to not only to our coach, (Dave) McCuskey," Smith said. "There was a wrestler by the name of Bill Koll, and I worked out with him every day. Of course, he was one of these guys who came back from the war. There was no two ways around it, he did it his way. He bounced me around quite a bit, and in doing that, I think he made me the national champion that I was. He was relentless all the time."
Smith also won three national freestyle championships and later coached the San Francisco Olympic Club team to seven national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.
"A lot depends on what you are willing to put in the sport. You never know when a guy is going to take off," Schwab said. "If you keep believing in the work and the process, and he obviously got around some really good people. You see some of the partners he had and you start getting into the system and now guys start believing in you or maybe you just start maturing or different things happen at different times. It's a great lesson for our guys to know they don't have to be a four-time state champion to be a national champion or world champion or an Olympic champion."
Smith played football for one year at ISTC and still remains a devout fans of all of UNI Athletics, wrestling in particular.
Smith earned his gold medal at the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. He was the only American to win a freestyle medal. Smith didn't give up any points in his six matches, but he lost a 0-0 match on a split referee's decision in the round robin. He then came back to score a large victory over his Iranian opponent to earn the gold medal.
"I scored the wrestler from Iran, but I didn't think it was a score," said Smith. "I thought I had to pin him, you know get a fall instead of a decision. And a wrestler we had at 191 knew that. He kept yelling from the stands to tell me."
He wasn't even sure he had won until taking the podium. He stands as the only Olympic champion in the history of UNI Athletics.
"I couldn't be more grateful that we are going to have that, and I am going to be able to see that display every day," Schwab said. "It's a great lesson for me and our guys that we are going to keep working and believing in it."
Smith qualified for the 1956 Olympics, but he was not allowed to compete, because he had taken money for being the head coach of the high school wrestling team, which was not allowed at the time.
"I wanted to try to make the team, because my wife didn't get to go in 1952," Smith said. "We were always looking for a nickel here and a nickel there, so she didn't get to go. I spent way too much money. I shouldn't have gone. I had children on the way. You should be home taking care of them, but my wife, we talked about it. She was always really good about wrestling and keeping things ready to go."
Smith was part of the inaugural class inducted into UNI's Hall of Fame in 1985 for his individual achievements, but it was the team's success that has the greatest memories for Smith.
"My favorite memory was, of course, winning the NCAA championship team title," Smith said. "We had won several titles with different wrestlers like Bill Koll and Bill Nelson."
He also was inducted in 2009 with the 1950 wrestling team, which won a national team title when UNI hosted the championship in 1950.
"You're trying to build on a tradition and trying to put it in a better place," Schwab said. "If we're going to put it in a better place then where it's been, we are going to have to do some incredible things. There are a lot of alums who have sweat and blood and tears and work and everything they sacrificed for the program. You're a piece of that now. And part of your job is to uphold that and put it in a better place."
Smith also was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1972 and Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1977. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002.
"We can't honor him enough and what he did in the sport," Schwab said. "He still pays attention. He knows what is going on with our team. He loves wrestling, and he is still really sharp. I know he wants to see another guy do what he did. I know his heart is here, and his legacy will always be out in that hallway."
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