Famous People Who Once Wrestled
This list is a compilation of a list from the 1996 USA Wrestling Team Guide… along with additional
contributions from members of Amateur Wrestling Fan Addicts, posters to The Mat forum, and news
reports… with special thanks to fellow Fan Addict Tom Fortunato (webmaster, “Web’s Best of Amateur
Wrestling”) and Rob England (aka “wrestling cards” on The Mat forum.) The accuracy of this list cannot be
guaranteed.
U.S. Presidents
Chester Arthur
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Ulysses S Grant
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
Teddy Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
Zachary Taylor
John Tyler
George Washington
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Donald Rumsfeld
Frank Carlucci
WHITE HOUSE STAFF
Ari Fleischer
George Stephanopoulos
OTHER POLITICIANS
Arne Carlson (former governor of Minnesota)
Steven Friedman (chief economic advisor for the
second Bush administration)
WRESTLING COMMENTATORS
Jeff Blatnick
Ken Chertow
Dan Gable
Jim Gibbons
Russ Hellickson
Ken Kraft
Tim Johnson
ADVENTURERS
Don Briggs(former University of Northern Iowa
assistant coach, now base camp manager at Mt.
Everest)
AMERICAN HEROES
Jeremy Glick (aboard United flight 93 that crashed
in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001)
Charles Moose (Montgomery County (Maryland)
Police Chief – led investigation in Washington DC
area sniper shootings October 2002)
Tommy Norris (Medal of Honor winner for actions in
Vietnam)
Prisoner of war in Iraq
Pfc. Patrick Miller (wrestled in HS in Park City,
Kansas)
TV NEWSCASTERS/PERSONALITIES
Geraldo Rivera
Andy Rooney
U.S. SENATE
The late John Chafee (former senator RI)
Lincoln Chafee (senator RI)
Chuck Hagel (Nebraska)
John McCain (Arizona)
The Late Paul Wellstone (Minnesota)
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Late Carl Albert(former Speaker of the House)
Dennis Hastert (Illinois)(Speaker of the House)
Brad Glass
Greg Ganske (Iowa)
Jim Leach (Iowa)
Jim Nussle (Iowa)
ACTORS/COMEDIANS
William Baldwin
The Late John Belushi
The Late James Cagney
Tom Cruise
Tony Danza
Kirk Douglas
The Late Chris Farley
Al Franken
The Late Victor French (TV show Highway to
Heaven)
PeeWee Herman (Paul Ruebens in HS in Florida)
Breck Jamison (formerly of As The World Turns)
Harvey Keitel
Ashton Kutcher(That 70s Show)
Jay Leno
Mario Lopez
Bill Maher
Howie Mandel
Jay Mohr
The Late Nat Pendleton (1920s Olympic wrestler,
1930s movie actor)
Tom Sullivan
Mr. T. (Laurence Turead)
Tab Thacker
Vince Vaughn
Tim Van Patten
Robin Williams
ASTRONAUTS/NASA
Joe Allen (Astronaut)
Michael Collins (Astronaut)
Jim Voss (Astronaut)
Ronald Dittemore (NASA space shuttle program
manager)
William Kerslake (NASA scientist)
MUSICIANS
The Late Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
Glen Danzig (wrestled as Glen Anzalone)
The Late Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon)
Maynard James Keenan (Tool)
Ludacris
The Late Layne Staley (Alice in Chains)
Robin Zander (Cheap Trick)
Garth Brooks
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
OLYMPIC ATHLETES IN OTHER SPORTS WHO
ONCE WRESTLED
Mark Lenzi (Diving)
Sugar Ray Leonard (Boxing)
Jason Morris (Judo)
Jimmy Pedro (Judo)
Brian Shimer (Bobsled)
Jim Thorpe (Early 20th century decathlete)
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATION FOUNDER
Joseph Smith (founder, Church of the Latter-Day
Saints) (Mormon)
SCIENCE
Dr. Norman Borlaug (Nobel prize winner)
William Kerslake (NASA scientist)
PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES (other than NFL)
Brett Butler (baseball)
Pat Day (horse racing)
Kevin Harvick (NASCAR)
Larry Holmes (boxing)
Glenn Hubbard (baseball)
Jeremy Rose (horse racing)
Bill Shoemaker (horse racing)
Spud Webb (basketball)
No Holds Barred (UFC/Octagon) competitors
Mark Coleman
Randy Couture
Kevin Jackson
Kevin Randleman
Dan Severn
Ken Shamrock
AMERICAN HEROES who died in service to our
country in the 2003 Iraq war
Marine Lance Corporal
Brian E. Anderson (wrestled in HS in Durham, NC)
Marine Major
Jay Thomas Aubin (killed in a British helicopter
crash in Kuwait – wrestled in HS in Skowhegen,
Maine)
Marine Lance Corporal Andrew Aviles (wrestled in
HS in Tampa)
Marine Lance Corporal Brian Rory Buesing
(wrestled in HS in Charlotte County, Florida)
Marine Captain Travis Ford (wrestled in HS in
Ogalalla, Nebraska)
Marine Sgt. Brian McGinnis (wrestled in HS in St.
Georges, Delaware)
Marine Major Kevin Nave (wrestled in HS in White
Lake Township, Mich.)
Marine Lance Corporal Patrick O’Day (wrestled in
HS at Santa Rosa, California)
Sgt. 1st Class Randy Rehn (wrestled in HS in
Longmont, Colorado)
Marine Corporal Randal Kent Rosaker (wrestled in
HS in Alamosa, Colorado)
AUTHORS
Terry Davis (Vision Quest)
John Irving (The World According to Garp)
The Late Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest)
Ron Kovic (Born of the Fourth of July)
MILITARY LEADERS
Denny Benchoff(3-star general)
The Late Greg “Pappy” Boyington
General Charles C. Krulak
Rear Admiral William J. McDaniel
George Patton
Al Rushotz
Retired Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf
BUSINESS LEADERS
Rocky Aoki (Benihana Restaurants)
Scott Beck (Boston Market)
James Bigger (Nestle)
Ben Bishop (Bethlehem Steel)
Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-a)
John Filer (Aetna)
Stephen Friedman (Goldman Sachs)
Robert Hannan (Thrift Drug)
Henry Kravis (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.)
James Macalear (SMS Corp.)
Ron McGruder (Olive Garden)
Art Martori (Production Farm Management)
David Pottruck (Charles Schwab)
Edward Rust (State Farm)
Arthur Rutzen (Wells Fargo)
John Vaughan (Alco Standard)
SPORTS BROADCASTING
The Late Roone Arledge
Jim Lampley
Bill Macatee
Tim Krumrie
Ernie Ladd
Jess Lewis
Ray Lewis
Ronnie Lott
Kirk Loudermilk
Joel Mackovica
Steve Martin
Mickey Marvin
Napoleon McCallum
Mark McDonald
Chris McIntosh
Greg Meisner
Jim Nance
Lorenzo Neal
Stephen Neal
Jeremy Newberry
Chuck Noll
Leo Nomellini
Chuke Nwokoric
Jonathan Ogden
Irv Pankey
David Patten
Bob Pickens
Jim Plunkett
Dave Porter
Mike Pyle
Mike Reid
Eric Rhett
Brad St. Louis
Cory Schlesinger
Tony Siragusa
Fred Smerlas
Dave Szott
Kyle Turley
Rick Turnbull
Tommy Vardell
John Ward
Fred Weary
Charles White
Ricky Williams
Greg Wojochowski
Alex Karras
Coy Wire
Art Baker
Ronde Barber
Tiki Barber
Walter Barnes
Harris Barton
Brad Benson
Bob Bruenig
Tom Cousineau
Tom Covert
Roger Craig
Curley Culp
Larry Czonka
Dan Dierdorff
Ron Essink
Jim Everett
Demarco Farr
Terrell Fletcher
Bill Fralic
Doug “Bubba” France
Bill George
Charlie Getty
Kevin Glover
LeRoi Glover
Bob Golic
Mike Golic
Darrien Gordon
Scottie Graham
Tim Green
Kelly Gregg
Archie Griffin
Nick Greisen
John Hannah
Carlton Haselrig
Ron Heller
Chad Hennings
Jay Hilgenberg
Bo Jackson
Mario Johnson
Henry Jordan
Dave Joyner
John Jurkovich
Randy Grossman
Marlon Greenwood
James Mungro
Jon Hartunian
Mark Schlereth
SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT
(pro rasslers who were amateur wrestlers)
Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vazin)
Brock Lesnar
Chief Wahoo McDaniel
Earl McCready
Randy Orton
Nat Pendleton
Brad Rheingans
Bob Roop
Joe Scarpello
Ruffy Silverstein
The Steiner Brothers
The Late Chris Taylor
The Late Mr. Wrestling/Tim Woods
Kurt Angle
Bob Backlund
George Bollas
Jack Brisco
Mike DiBiase
Dory Funk
Verne Gagne
Ray Gunkel
Dan Hodge
Dick Hutton
Bob Roop
Joe Scarpello
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Rick Flair
Terry Gerrin "Rhyno"