Chris Taylor

Amateur wrestling The 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) Taylor wrestled for Dowagiac High School in Dowagiac, Michigan and then in college at Muskegon Community College and Iowa State University (winning the NCAA heavyweight championship in 1972 and 1973 by defeating Greg Wojciechowski and Jim Hagen, respectively). Taylor won the bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics in freestyle wrestling. He lost only to Aleksandr Medved. It appeared Medved was stalling, but the referee awarded a point to the Soviet, charging Taylor with a lack of action. Later admitting that he felt sorry for Medved because of Taylor's size, the referee was dismissed from the Olympic tournament and banned from international officiating. In the Greco-Roman competition, Taylor was unexpectedly suplexed and pinned by a much lighter Wilfried Dietrich, whom he defeated a week before in the freestyle contest.

Personal life On September 9, 1973, Taylor married Lynn Hart. He died of cardiovascular complications at his home in Story City, Iowa, at the age of 29, two years after health problems caused him to retire from professional wrestling. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Dowagiac, Michigan. The couple had one daughter, Jenny Taylor.

Championships and accomplishments National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member (Class of 2012) Iowa State Wrestling Hall Of Fame Class of 2012 George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2013