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Carl Adams (born November 27, 1950) is an American retired wrestler, coach, and businessman.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 27, 1950 Bay Shore, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Iowa State |
| Playing career | |
| 1969–1972 | Iowa State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1973–1979 | Iowa State (asst.) |
| 1979–1981 | Rhode Island |
| 1981–2014 | Boston |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2014–Present | Boston (Student Services) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 270–179–5 (Wrestling) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member (2019) | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's freestyle wrestling | ||
Representing the  United States | ||
| Pan American Games | ||
 | 1975 Mexico City | 74 kg |
| World Cup | ||
 | 1976 Toledo | 74 kg |
| Collegiate Wrestling | ||
| Representing the Iowa State Cyclones | ||
| NCAA Division I Championships | ||
 | 1971 Auburn | 158 lb |
| 1972 College Park | 158 lb |
Adams grew up in Bay Shore, New York attending Brentwood Ross High School. His senior year he wrestled under legendary coach Joe Campo at 157 lbs and never lost a dual meet en route to winning the State Championship at his weight class.[1]
Following his standout prep career, Adams continued his wrestling at Iowa State. As a freshman he wrestled at the 152 lbs weight class where he compiled a 9–2–1 dual mark and finished fifth at the NCAA Championship.[2] That same season, the Cyclones took home the team title that year for the first time since 1965.[3] Adams won his only Big Eight Conference championship in 1970, but was unable to place in the top eight at nationals as the Cyclones won back-to-back NCAA team titles. However, Adams was able to master his weight class in his final two seasons. In 1971, Adams was 9–2–1 in duals and won his first NCAA title by beating Oregon State's Mike Jones 18–5 in the championship match.[2] Adams did not lose a dual match in his senior season (16–0–1) and capped off his second consecutive individual national title with a 7–4 decision against Stan Dziedzic from Slippery Rock.[2] He was one of three Cyclone individual national titlists in 1972 (Ben Peterson, Chris Taylor), as the Cyclones were national champions for the third time in Adams' four seasons with the Cyclones. Adams concluded his collegiate career with a dual record of 45–4–4.[4]
After ending his ISU career continued to excel on the mat at the international level. Adams won the AAU 163-pound national championship in 1973 and 1975 and placed fifth in the 1975 World Team Championship held in Minsk.[4] He won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City.[5]
In 2019, Adams was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[6]
After spending time on the freestyle wrestling circuit, he began to coach. He started as an assistant in 1973 at his alma mater, Iowa State, and then his first head coaching job was at the University of Rhode Island; after that program was cut as a result of Title IX, he took over the Boston University program where was the head coach from 1981 until the program's end in 2014.[7] After the wrestling program was dropped, Adams transitioned into an administrative role titled Coordinator of Student-Athlete Services which he still holds today.[1]
Additionally, he runs the Carl Adams World Class Wrestling Camp, innovated several wrestling takedown machines, and has published books and videos about the sport.[8]
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