Eric Guerrero
Personal information
Full nameEric Guerrero
NationalityAmerican
Born (1977-05-15) 15 May 1977
San Jose, California, U.S.
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle and Folkstyle
ClubGator Wrestling Club
College teamOklahoma State Cowboys
CoachJohn Smith
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
World Cup
Silver medal – second place2000 Fairfax58 kg
Silver medal – second place2002 Spokane60 kg
Gold medal – first place2003 Boise60 kg
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place1999 Winnipeg58 kg
Bronze medal – third place2003 Santo Domingo60 kg
Pan American Championships
Silver medal – second place2000 Cali58 kg
Cadet World Championships
Gold medal – first place1993 Duisburg55 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Gold medal – first place1997 Cedar Falls126 lb
Gold medal – first place1998 Cleveland126 lb
Gold medal – first place1999 State College133 lb

Eric Guerrero (born May 15, 1977 in San Jose, California) is a retired amateur American freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's lightweight category.[1] He won three consecutive NCAA (1997–1999) and four U.S. Open titles (2001–2004), scored two medals in the 58 and 60-kg division at the Pan American Games (1999 and 2003), and represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Guerrero has also served as a member of the wrestling squad for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Being part of the university's staff, he has led the Cowboys to two NCAA tournament trophies, eleven national champions, five Big-12 conference titles, and thirty-six NCAA All-Americans. For displaying his sportsmanship and expertise in coaching, Guerrero has been inducted to the USA Wrestling Hall of Fame in June 2014.[2]

Career

College

Guerrero began his sporting career as a member of the Independence High School wrestling team. While still in high school, he won a cadet world title in 1993, was a first-team ASICS All-American (1994 and 1995), won junior world and national titles in 1995, and was named California Male Athlete of the Year.[2] Due to his stellar high school career, Guerrero was recruited by Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he became a star member of the Cowboy wrestling squad under head coach and two-time Olympic champion John Smith.[3]

Guerrero compiled a 117–13 overall record while wrestling for the Cowboys from 1996 to 1999. As a true freshman, he took fifth-place at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. In 1997, he won his first NCAA Championship at the 126-pound weight class and would repeat this triumph in 1998 at 126 pounds, and in 1999 at 133 pounds. In his final year, Guerrero dominated the field, highlighted by a perfect 31–0 record in which he recorded four straight technical falls in his first four matches, finishing with twelve technical falls and seven major decisions overall, and then prevailing 3–1 over Iowa State University's Cody Sanderson in achieving his third-straight NCAA title.[2]

Guerrero was a key contributor to the Oklahoma State Cowboys' success during his time there, becoming one of only twelve four-time NCAA All-Americans in Oklahoma State University's wrestling history. Additionally, he was recognized as a two-time Academic All-America selection.[2]

Freestyle wrestling

Upon completing his college career at Oklahoma State in 1999, Guerrero joined the U.S. world wrestling team, eventually earning his first berth at the World Championships.[4] In the same year, he picked up a silver medal in the 58-kg division at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, losing only to the host nation's Guivi Sissaouri on the final bout.

While competing internationally, Guerrero achieved four U.S. Open titles (2001–2004), won a World Cup series trophy in 2003, and took part as a member of the U.S. wrestling team in three more World Championships.[5][6] At the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Guerrero pinned his Puerto Rican rival Luis Ortiz to clinch the bronze medal in the 60-kg division.[7]

Guerrero qualified for the U.S. wrestling team on his major debut in the men's 60 kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Earlier in the process, he thrashed his opponent Mike Zadick on the final bout to claim a spot on the U.S. team from the Olympic Trials.[8][9] Guerrero lost two straight matches each at 1–3 in overtime to Mongolia's Oyuunbilegiin Pürevbaatar and Georgia's David Pogosian, leaving him on the bottom of the pool and placing sixteenth in the final standings.[10][11] Shortly after the Games, Guerrero retired from competitive wrestling to turn his focus on coaching.

Coaching

Guerrero initially joined his alma mater's team staff as a strength and conditioning coach in 2001, until he was promoted into the position of a full-time assistant coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, following the 2004 Summer Olympics. During his time in the staff, he helped the Cowboys produce four consecutive NCAA titles, eight Big 12 Conference titles, and thirty-six NCAA All-Americans to their college records.[2] Additionally, he coached eleven wrestlers from the team, whom they later became NCAA champions in their respective weight categories, including 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Coleman Scott in men's 60 kg (132 lb).[12]

In 2009, Guerrero was appointed as head coach for the U.S. team at the FILA Junior World Wrestling Championships in Ankara, Turkey, and led his squad to a most spectacular display in 11 years.[2]

Following his nine-year duration on the Oklahoma State wrestling staff, Guerrero was upgraded to his position as an associate head coach for the 2012–2013 season. On June 21, 2014, Guerrero was formally inducted into the USA Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[13]

Personal life

Guerrero was married to former Miss Texas and Miss America top-ten finalist Kristen Blair in the summer of 2012. The couple resided in Stillwater, Oklahoma with their two children.[14] He has four children (3 sons and 1 daughter).

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Eric Guerrero". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elmquist, Jason (June 21, 2014). "OSU assistant wrestling coach Guerrero headlines Hall of Fame class". Tahlequah Daily Press. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ Day, Chris (September 8, 2013). "Stillwater fans celebrate wrestling's return to the Olympic Games". NewsPress. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Abbott, Gary (October 10, 1999). "Neal wins gold, McIlravy silver, Gutches bronze; USA is 2nd at FS Worlds". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ "U.S. wrestlers sweep World Cup opponents". USA Today. April 7, 2003. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ Guerrero, Eric. Wrestling Database. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Women Beat Brazil, Go for Gold". Los Angeles Times. August 9, 2003. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Abbott, Gary (July 15, 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  9. ↑ "U.S. Olympic wrestling team". ESPN. May 23, 2004. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 60kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. August 15, 2004. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  11. ↑ Abbott, Gary (August 29, 2004). "Sanderson wins gold medal while Abas and Kelly win silver medals at Olympic freestyle wrestling competition". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ Almond, Elliott (February 15, 2013). "Olympic wrestler from San Jose fights IOC decision to drop sport". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ "OSU's Guerrero Receives Distinguished Honor". News9. June 24, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Oklahoma State Cowboys: Coach and Staff – Eric Guerrero" (PDF). Oklahoma State University. p. 12. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
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