Kendall Cross

Kendall Duane Cross (born February 24, 1968) is an American freestyle wrestler, wrestling coach and Olympic gold medalist. He won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he wrestled in the 57 kilogram (125.5 pounds) weight class. He defeated Guivi Sissaouri of Canada 5–3 in the final match.^[1] Cross also competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics where he placed sixth. He had defeated the eventual winner and the two-time world champion Alejandro Puerto of Cuba in a previous tournament but lost 10–6 in round six of the elimination rounds.^[2]

Kendall Cross

Personal information
Full name	Kendall Duane Cross
Born	February 24, 1968 (1968-02-24) (age 56) Hardin, Montana, U.S.
Home town	Mustang, Oklahoma, U.S.
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Event(s)	Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team	Oklahoma State
Club	Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
Team	USA
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta 57 kg World Cup 1997 Stillwater 57 kg Pan American Championships 1992 Albany 57 kg Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 1992 Krasnoyarsk 57 kg Junior World Championships 1986 Schifferstadt 56 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys NCAA Division I Championships 1989 Oklahoma City 126 lb 1990 College Park 126 lb Big 8 Championships 1989 Ames 126 lb 1990 Lincoln 126 lb 1988 Norman 126 lb

Early career

In high school, Cross wrestled for Mustang High School in Mustang, Oklahoma where he won a state title. He wrestled collegiately for Oklahoma State University where he was a three time All-American and won the NCAA Championship in 1989.^[3] Kendall graduated from OSU with a major in political science and economics.^[4]

Highlight achievements

• Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, inducted 2002^[5]
• Three time US National Champion
• Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler at the U. S. Nationals, 1992 and 1995
• 1997 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year^[6]
• 1992 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin Tournament Champion (he defeated the strong world wrestler Bagavdin Umakhanov)^[7][8]
• Espoir National and Espoir World Cup Champion, 1988
• Bronze medal at Junior World Championships, 1986
• World Cup Champion, 1997
• Olympic Champion, 1996

Coaching

After college he served as an assistant coach at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC while training for the Olympics. He also served as a coach for the Sunkist Kids and the Dave Schultz Wrestling Clubs. Kendall went on to become an assistant coach at Harvard University and worked at Merrill Lynch in Boston. While in Boston, he founded the Kendall Cross Gold Medal Wrestling Club, which developed young athletes. Then after moving to Dallas, helped coach at Dallas Dynamite, with other Olympians Brandon Slay and Jamill Kelly. In addition to helping coach at Dallas Dynamite, he also coaches at Trinity Christian Academy.

Family

Kendall has two children, Kennedy and London Cross, and currently resides in New York City.

See also

• List of Oklahoma State University Olympians

References

1. "Americans Angle, Cross Capture Wrestling Golds". The Washington Post. August 13, 2000. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
2. "Bantamweight, Freestyle (≤57 kilograms), Men". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
3. "Kendall Cross Home Page". Archived from the original on May 24, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
4. "Kendall Cross". Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
5. "National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum". Archived from the original on July 28, 2003. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
6. "Kendall Cross's Bio: Olympic Champion".
7. All about freestyle wrestling (in Russian). Vladikavkaz: Project-Press. 1997. p. 190.
8. Museum of Ivan Yarygin. Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin.

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Cross, Kendall
• Kendall Cross Biography and Statistics - Olympics at Sports-Reference.com