Pat Smith, a member of the storied Smith wrestling family of NCAA All-Americans, made history of his own when he became the first wrestler to win four NCAA Division 1 individual national championships. The Oklahoma State Cowboy earned NCAA titles in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994, compiling a 121-5-2 record, including a school record for consecutive matches without a loss (98). After graduating, Smith served as an assistant wrestling coach at his college alma mater for 11 years. In 2007, Smith moved to Little Rock to open the Arkansas Wrestling Academy to help start wrestling in the state. Since then, wrestling has been approved as an official high school sport in Arkansas, and a number of colleges have launched wrestling programs in that state.
![](/Files/image/articles/obata.jpg)
In addition to Smith and Uetake Obata, others being inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame include Kurt Burris (football), Jack "Jumping Jack" McCracken (basketball), Ralph Terry (baseball), and Steve Zabel (football). Burris and McCracken will be inducted posthumously. Ceremonies will take place at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Founded in 1986, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes of all sports at every level with ties to the state of Oklahoma. It is not affiliated with any specific university. Currently, 152 Oklahoma sports figures, and two "teams of legend" have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including a number of former college wrestlers.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now