Dremiel Byers

Last updated

Dremiel Byers
Dremiel Byers.jpg
Sgt. 1st Class Byers celebrates winning a tournament
Personal information
Born (1974-09-11) September 11, 1974 (age 49)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Home town Kings Mountain, North Carolina, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
Sport Wrestling
Weight class120 kg (264.5 lbs)
Event Greco-Roman
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2002 Moscow 120 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2009 Herning 120 kg
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2007 Baku 120 kg
World Military Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2005 Vilnius120 kg
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1999 Winnipeg 130 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 120 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2003 Guatemala City120 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2002 Maracaibo120 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2006 Rio de Janeiro120 kg

Dremiel Byers (born September 11, 1974) is an American former Greco-Roman wrestler. Byers joined the World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) in 1996 and was the 2002 World Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at 120 kg. In total, Byers won three World medals and was a two-time Olympian. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2021. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Byers was raised by a single mother in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. He carries a childhood nickname, "Bam" or "Big Bam" to the current day. Byers earned this nickname from when he was a toddler, carrying a 1-pound dumbbell as a toy. He attended Kings Mountain High School, where as a wrestler, he won a North Carolina state championship as a heavyweight in 1993. [2]

Byers attended North Carolina A&T for one year on a football scholarship. He was later forced to leave college to take care of family matters. After leaving college, he signed a 2-year enlistment in the US Army.

Wrestling career

Dremiel Byers (top) lifts an opponent at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Dremiel Byers and Jalmar Sjoberg.jpg
Dremiel Byers (top) lifts an opponent at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In the US Army, when asked if anyone in his group wrestled before, Byers mentioned how he had been a North Carolina state champion. From there, he was introduced to the Greco-Roman style of wrestling and the start of a prolific Greco-Roman wrestling career. [3] Byers joined the US Army World Class Athlete Program in 1996. He competed out of Colorado Springs, Colorado for the US Army, in the 120 kg (264.5 lbs) weight class. During his career he had many accomplishments and awards as a wrestler. He was recognized as the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

Byers would earn a gold medal in Greco-Roman at the 2002 World Wrestling Championships. He also helped the United States win its first Greco-Roman World team title at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships, with his victory in the bronze medal match clinching the team title. Byers finished his career tied with Matt Ghaffari for the most Greco-Roman World Championship medals by a United States wrestler, by achieving three medals at the World Championships. [4]

He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions in 2015. In 2021, Byers was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

Personal life

Byers is an avid motorcyclist. He is a member of the motorcycle club Street Soldierz out of Denver, Colorado and is the Colorado Springs Chapter commander. Byers is a Sergeant First Class in the US Army. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Hall of Fame biography: Dremiel Byers, Distinguished Member. Team USA. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  2. ↑ L Hughes II, Joe. (June 7, 2021). Truly legendary: Kings Mountain's Byers joins distinguished list in national wrestling HOF. gastongazette.com. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ Ford, Alan. (May 3, 2018). Wrestling champ Byers to join Hall class. shelbystar.com. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  4. ↑ Dremiel Byers | National Wrestling Hall of Fame. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Dremiel Byers. Team USA. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
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