Mike Houck (born 1959) is an American former Greco-Roman wrestler.[1] In 1985, he became the first American to win a World Championship in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning the 90 kg title.[2] In 2008, Houck was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[3]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 64–65) | ||||||||||||||
| Home town | Mapleton, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||
| Event | Greco-Roman | ||||||||||||||
| College team | Maranatha Baptist | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Minnesota Wrestling Club | ||||||||||||||
| Team | USA | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and education
editHouck wrestled at Robbinsdale High School in Minnesota. He would then attend Maranatha Baptist Bible College, where he won two National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) titles, before turning his attention to Greco-Roman wrestling.[4]
Greco-Roman wrestling career
editHouck won the first ever World Championship in USA Greco-Roman wrestling history, by winning the 90 kg title at the 1985 World Championships in Kolbotn, Norway.
He won three USA Wrestling national Greco-Roman titles and one AAU title. He competed on three U.S. World Teams, and made two World Cup appearances. Houck barely missed the Olympic Games, finishing second at the U.S. Olympic trials in 1984 and 1988.[5]
References
edit- ^ Hands, Timothy. (March 27, 2019). USA Greco Gold Medal Series Entry #2: Mike Houck. fivepointmove.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Finn, Mike. (September 13, 2023). History of USA Greco-Roman wrestling at past Worlds/Olympics. win-magazine.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Mike Houck. nwhof.org. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Four inducted into wrestling hall of fame. twincities.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Seven inducted into the Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame. theguillotine.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.