EDINBORO, PA – Edinboro University will
present Bruce Baumgartner Bobblehead Doll Night on Friday, August
4 at Jerry Uht Park as the Erie SeaWolves take on the New
Hampshire Fisher Cats. The giveaway is in conjunction with
Edinboro Community Day. The SeaWolves are a Double A affiliate of
the Detroit Tigers and a member of the Eastern League. The first
pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
In addition to the bobblehead doll giveaway,
Baumgartner, a four-time Olympic medalist, will hold an autograph
session prior to the game and will throw out the first pitch.
Baumgartner presently serves as Edinboro’s
Director of Athletics, a position he has held since 1997. He is
regarded as one of the greatest American wrestlers ever, affirming
his status as the greatest freestyle wrestler in American history
by winning the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
It was his fourth Olympic medal and record-setting 13th
world-level medal. Baumgartner was honored by his fellow United
States Olympic athletes when he was chosen to carry the American
flag for the opening ceremonies.
He won his first gold medal in Los Angeles in
1984, America’s first in 60 years of super heavyweight
wrestling. Next came a silver medal performance at the 1988 Games
in Seoul, Korea, followed by a second gold medal in Barcelona,
Spain in ’92. He became the first American wrestler to ever
medal in three consecutive Olympics.
Honored as the winner of the James E. Sullivan
Award in 1995 as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United
States, Baumgartner had not lost to an American wrestler from 1981
through his retirement from competition in 1998. He has been
inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, including the Wrestling Hall
of Fame in 2002 and the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2005.
Baumgartner joined the Edinboro staff as an
assistant wrestling coach in 1984 and along with head coach Mike
DeAnna oversaw the transition to Division I. He became the head
coach in 1990, and in seven seasons as the head coach compiled a
70-36 record. That included a perfect 14-0 finish in 1997, with
the Fighting Scots posting their best finish in school history at
the NCAA Division I National Championships, finishing sixth.
As a collegiate wrestler at Indiana State
University, Baumgartner won 134 of 146 matches with 73 falls. He
was twice the runnerup at the national tournament, then posted a
perfect 44-0 record as a senior to win the national championship.
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