Charles Edwin "Charley" Ackerly (January 3, 1898 – August 16, 1982) was an American wrestler who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.[1] He was a 1920 graduate of Cornell University where he competed for the Cornell Big Red wrestling team under Coach Walter O'Connell. Ackerly was also a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and Sphinx Head Society.

Charles Ackerly
Ackerly pictured far left
Personal information
Born(1898-01-03)January 3, 1898
Cuba, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 1982(1982-08-16) (aged 84)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamCornell
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1920 Antwerp 60 kg

He competed for the United States in the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Antwerp, Belgium in the freestyle featherweight division, winning the gold medal.[2] He was the only American wrestler to win gold during the 1920 Olympics, and was given a hero's welcome in his hometown of Cuba, New York following his return from Antwerp.[3]

Ackerly was inducted into the Helms Foundation National Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1960 and Cornell's Hall of Fame in 1981.[4]

After his wrestling career, he worked as a lawyer in Detroit, Michigan before retiring to Clearwater, Florida.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Charles Ackerly". Olympedia. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Charles Ackerly". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  3. ^ Charles Ackerly - Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  4. ^ "Charles "Ed" Ackerly, Cornell '20". Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  5. ^ "Charley Ackerley". olympedia.org. OlyMADMen. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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