Olympian Inducted Into Hall Slain Champion Dave Schultz Put In Wrestling Hall Of Fame

Dave Schultz, shot and killed in January 1996 at the Pennsylvania estate of John E. du Pont, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Schultz, who was 36 at the time of his death, was one of three Olympic champions inducted as Distinguished Members. In February, du Pont was found guilty but mentally ill of murdering Schultz.

John Smith, a six-time world champion and now coach at Oklahoma State, also was inducted along with the late George S. Dole, who wrestled in the first college dual meets for Yale in 1903 and won an Olympic title in 1908.

Schultz, considered one of the most technically proficient wrestlers in the world, won a world title in 1983 and an Olympic gold medal in 1984. He was in training for the 1996 Summer Games when he was killed.

He is the only American to win the Tbilisi tournament twice. Tremendously popular in wrestling circles around the world, Schultz learned Russian so he could communicate with other wrestlers. He named his son Alexander after a friendly rival in the former Soviet Union.

Schultz’s wife and two children were on hand for the induction.

“I think I know how much he was loved, I just don’t know if he realized it,” Nancy Schultz said.

Ken Kraft also was inducted as a Distinguished Member. Kraft built Northwestern into a viable program and founded the Midlands Championships, a major annual open tournament.