Donald Behm Explained

Donald Behm
Fullname:Donald Ray Behm
Birth Place:Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Hometown:New Trier, Illinois, U.S.
Country:United States
Team:USA
Sport:Wrestling
Event:Freestyle and Folkstyle
Club:Mayor Daley Youth Foundation
Collegeteam:Michigan State
Headercolor:lightsteelblue
Show-Medals:yes

Donald Ray "Don" Behm (born February 13, 1945) is an American wrestler and coach. He was Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling in 1968.[1]

Wrestling career

Behm's high school career, in which he was a two time undefeated Illinois state champion, granted him the opportunity to wrestle for Michigan State University. During his collegiate career, Behm became a two-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten champion, and a three-time Midlands champion.

In his post-collegiate freestyle career, Behm's success continued nationally and internationally. In AAU and USWF tournaments between 1969 and 1973, he won five national championships, received All-American honors 11 times, and was twice named Outstanding Wrestler.

Representing the United States in the 1968 Olympic games, Behm earned a silver medal in the first and only "no match final" in the history of the sport. In 1970, he was the first American to capture a gold medal at the Tbilisi tournament, wrestling seven nine-minute matches in one day.[2]

Don Behm is a member of the Illinois Athletic Hall of Fame, and a charter member of the Midlands Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was inducted as a Distinguished Member into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and in 2007 he was inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was also inducted into the Michigan State University Athletics Hall of Fame. He is only the second wrestler at MSU to be included in the Athletics Hall of Fame.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Don Behm . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418120749/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/don-behm-1.html . dead . April 18, 2020 . Sports Reference LLC . March 29, 2012.
  2. Web site: Honoree: Don Behm . National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
  3. Web site: Bao . Robert . Olympians – Don Behm . Michigan State University Alumni.
  4. Web site: Nine-member US team to compete in Siberia on Jan. 23-25 . TeamUSA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130222165334/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2009/January/20/Nine-member-US-team-to-compete-in-Siberia-on-Jan-23-25.aspx . February 22, 2013 .