Kevin Jackson

Last updated

Kevin Jackson
Coach Kevin Jackson, ISU Head Wrestling Coach (6217569505) (cropped).jpg
Jackson in 2011
Weight82 kg (181 lb)
BornNovember 25, 1964 (1964-11-25) (age 59) [1]
Highland Falls, New York, U.S. [1]
High school Lansing Eastern (MI)
State championships2 (Michigan)
College Iowa State University
NCAA championships1 Team Championship
StatusHead Development Coach at Olympic Training Center, Former Coach of Iowa State University
Martial arts career
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight199 lb (90 kg; 14.2 st)
Mixed martial arts record
Total6
Wins4
By knockout1
By submission3
Losses2
By submission2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Olympic Games
Olympic rings.svg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1992 Barcelona 82 kg
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Varna 82 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Atlanta 82 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Havana 82 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Mar del Plata 82 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Representing the LSU Tigers
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1983 Oklahoma City 158 lb
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1984 East Rutherford 158 lb
Representing the Iowa State Cyclones
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1987 College Park 167 lb

Kevin Andre Jackson (born November 25, 1964) [1] is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach.

Contents

During his international career, Jackson became an Olympic Gold medalist in 1992, a two-time World Champion (1991 and 1995), a three-time World Cup Gold medalist (1993, 1995 and 1997, bronze in 1994) a two-time Pan American Games Gold medalist (1991 and 1995) and a two-time Pan American Champion (1990 and 1991). In folkstyle, Jackson was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, thrice for the LSU Tigers and once for the Iowa State Cyclones, after Louisiana State University dropped its wrestling program. [2] He also stepped into the UFC Octagon in four occasions, winning his first two bouts and losing the next two, all finishing via submission. [3] After spending the last four years as USA Wrestling's [4] National Freestyle Developmental Coach, Jackson made the move to Ann Arbor, MI to serve as an Assistant Wrestling Coach for the University of Michigan. [5]

Biography

High school

The native of Lansing, Michigan, won two state high school championships for Eastern High School before becoming a Junior National Greco-Roman wrestling champion.

College

As a college wrestler, he attended LSU and earned All-America honors three times before the school dropped the sport. He transferred to Iowa State for his senior year and captained the Cyclones’ last NCAA championship team (1987), earning another All-America award with an NCAA runner-up finish and registering a 30-3-1 record.

Career

In 1992 he won a gold medal in wrestling and was invited to join "Team Foxcatcher", but was let go the next year when John du Pont started getting paranoid delusions and did not want anything black in his estate, from cars to horses to people. Soon after, Jackson won two Pan American Games titles and was a member of World Championship teams for the United States in both 1993 and 1995. He won three U.S. National Titles and placed second five times. Jackson also became the first American to win the prestigious Takhti Cup (1998) in Tehran, Iran. During his post-collegiate competitive career, Jackson also assisted with the Cyclone Wrestling Club (1989–92) and volunteered with the Arizona State (1997) program.

Jackson participated in mixed martial arts in 1997, when he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship to become only the 2nd Olympic Gold medalist wrestler to step in the octagon, [6] eventually winning the UFC 14 Light Heavyweight tournament. He fought Frank Shamrock for the inaugural UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC Japan , but lost via armbar submission. He retired from MMA competition in 1998 after six fights.

Jackson's success earned him a number of major awards, including the 1995 John Smith Award as National Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, 1992 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year and 1991 USA Wrestling and USOC Wrestler of the Year. Jackson is a member of the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (as a Distinguished Member) and the Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame. In October 2019, Jackson was inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame and is the only wrestler to be inducted.

Jackson has worked extensively as a wrestling coach. He was head coach of the Sunkist youth development program, National Freestyle coach for USA Wrestling for eight years (2001–08) and the freestyle wrestling coach for two United States' teams at the Olympics. Jackson was the freestyle coach at the Olympic Training Center and head coach for the U.S. Army team at Fort Carson (1998–2001). [7] [8] Jackson served as head coach of Iowa State Cyclones from 2010-2017 where he coached 4 NCAA champions, 14 All-Americans, and 9 Big-12 Champions. [5] In June 2017 Kevin went back to the Olympic Training Center as a US National Team Freestyle development coach and launched the Elite Accelerated Program (EAP).

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
6 matches4 wins2 losses
By knockout10
By submission32
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win4–2 Sam Adkins Submission (armbar)Extreme Challenge 18May 15, 199814:21 Davenport, Iowa, United States
Loss3–2 Jerry Bohlander Technical Submission (armbar) UFC 16 March 13, 1998110:23 Kenner, Louisiana, United StatesFight of the Year (1998).
Loss3–1 Frank Shamrock Submission (armbar) UFC Japan December 21, 199710:16 Yokohama, JapanFor the inaugural UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win3–0 Tony Fryklund Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 14 July 27, 199710:44 Birmingham, Alabama, United StatesWon the UFC 14 Light Heavyweight Tournament.
Win2–0Todd ButlerTKO (submission to punches)11:27
Win1–0 John Lober Submission (arm-triangle choke)Extreme Fighting 4March 28, 199721:12 Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Championships and awards

Related Research Articles

Cael Norman Sanderson is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic gold medal and was undefeated in four years of college wrestling at Iowa State (159–0), becoming a four-time NCAA Division I champion (1999–2002). He is the only wrestler in NCAA Division I history to go undefeated in official matches with more than 100 wins. Sports Illustrated named his college career as the second most impressive college sports feat of all-time, behind the setting of four world records by Jesse Owens in a single hour at the 1935 Big Ten track and field conference championship meet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Gable</span> American wrestler and coach

Danny Mack Gable is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to be inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. In 2014, Gable was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame and on December 8, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Steve Mocco is an American former amateur wrestler, judoka and mixed martial artist. As a collegiate wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time finalist, and was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy. In freestyle, he represented the US at the Olympics and was a three-time Pan American Champion. As an MMA fighter, he most notably competed at the WSOF. He is currently a coach at both combat sports, being one of the main coaches at MMA powerhouse American Top Team and an assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Askren</span> American Olympic wrestler and mixed martial artist (born 1984)

Ben Askren is an American former professional mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler.

Townsend Saunders is an Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling. Collegiately, Saunders was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American at Arizona State University and an NCAA Division II National Champion for California State University-Bakersfield. Townsend was also a Goodwill Games gold medalist in 1994 and won two Pan American Games gold medals in 1991 and 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Peterson</span> American wrestler

Benjamin Lee "Ben" Peterson is a retired American freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal, respectively. As a college wrestler, Peterson was a two-time NCAA champion at Iowa State. He founded the "Camp of Champs," which brought in Olympic wrestlers to train with high schoolers. Peterson also coached wrestling at Maranatha Baptist University for 28 years.

The University of Iowa men's wrestling program is one of the most successful NCAA Division I athletic programs. The Hawkeyes are 37 time Big Ten Conference champions and second in NCAA history with 24 National Championships

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling</span> United States university wrestling team

The Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team is the most successful NCAA Division I program of all time in any sport. As of 2021–2022, Oklahoma State wrestling has won 34 team national championships, 143 individual NCAA championships, and 485 All-American honors.

Royce Alger is an American former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler and retired mixed martial artist. An athlete of wrestling icon Dan Gable, he went on to become a three-time All-American, three-time Big Ten champion, and two-time NCAA National Champion at the 167 and 177 pound weight classes in 1987 and 1988, at the University of Iowa. After going undefeated in his final 78 matches, Alger spent seven years as an assistant wrestling coach with his alma mater. He was also a World silver medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 1990 World Wrestling Championships.

Barry Alan Davis is an Olympic silver medalist, a World bronze and silver medalist, and a Pan American Games gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. From 1994 until 2018, he served as head wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Cormier</span> American Olympic wrestler and mixed martial artist

Daniel Cormier is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. As a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion, Cormier is the second fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously and is the first fighter to have title defenses in two divisions. As an international wrestler, Cormier was a six-time US World or Olympic Team Member, a World bronze medalist, a World Cup runner-up, a Pan American Games gold medalist and a two-time Pan American champion. In folkstyle wrestling, Cormier was an NCAA Division I national finalist and two-time Big 12 Conference runner-up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was also a two-time NJCAA champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Cejudo</span> American Olympic wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter

Henry Cejudo is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is a former UFC Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously, and the second to defend titles in two different weight divisions. Cejudo is also the only person to win an Olympic gold medal and a UFC championship. He is considered to be among the greatest combat athletes of all time due to his accomplishments in MMA and freestyle wrestling, earning him the nickname "Triple C."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa State Cyclones wrestling</span> Wrestling team of Iowa State University

The Iowa State Cyclones wrestling team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cyclones are 8 time National Champions, 17 time National Runners-Up, and have 45 Top 4 "Trophy" Finishes. The team is coached by Kevin Dresser. The Cyclones host their home meets at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus. Iowa State became the second collegiate wrestling program to reach 1,100 dual wins on January 23, 2022.

The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program is an intercollegiate varsity sport at Pennsylvania State University. The wrestling team is a competing member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittany Lions compete at Rec Hall in State College, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The Nittany Lions have claimed 12 team National Championship titles and 55 individual NCAA National Championship titles.

Edward Lee Ruth is an American former professional mixed martial artist and freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He competed in the Middleweight division of Bellator MMA. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion.

Kyven Ross Gadson is an American amateur wrestler. Currently a senior competitor in amateur freestyle wrestling, earlier Gadson, while wrestling for the Iowa State Cyclones, was a three-time All-American in NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling and won the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the 197-lb weight class by pinning future Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Kyle Snyder in his final collegiate match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Zabriskie (wrestler)</span> American wrestler (born 1986)

David Zabriskie is a retired American amateur wrestler and current wrestling coach for Elevation Fight Team in Denver. Zabriskie wrestled for the Iowa State Cyclones and is a three-time Big 12 Conference champion, three-time All-American in NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling, and won the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the 285lb weight class in 2010.

David Aaron Carr (born March 28, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 165 pounds. In freestyle, Carr is a U20 Junior World Champion and U17 World medalist. In folkstyle, he is an NCAA Division I national champion and runner-up out of the Iowa State University, and is currently the second-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds.

James Patrick Downey III is an American submission grappler, freestyle wrestler, and professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. As an amateur wrestler, Downey competed at 86 kilograms and was a 2019 Pan American Games medalist and the 2019 US Open National champion. In college, he was an NCAA Division I All–American in 2016 for the Iowa State Cyclones and an NJCAA champion for Iowa Central Community College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gable Steveson</span> American professional and freestyle wrestler

Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler, and folkstyle wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, the second Olympic wrestling gold medalist to be signed by the company, after Kurt Angle.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kevin Jackson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Kevin Jackson | National Wrestling Hall of Fame" . Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ Fighting, M. M. A. (May 1, 2009). "UFC 14 winner Kevin Jackson to coach at Iowa State". MMA Fighting. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Kevin Jackson's Freestyle Wrestling Fundamentals - Wrestling -- Championship Productions, Inc". www.championshipproductions.com. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Kevin Jackson - Assistant Coach - Staff Directory". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ "UFC Olympic Gold Medalist wrestlers" . Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Kevin Jackson Named ISU Head Wrestling Coach – Iowa State University Athletics Official Web Site – www.CYCLONES.com – The home of Iowa State Cyclone Sports". www.CYCLONES.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Kevin Jackson - Wrestling Coach". Iowa State University Athletics.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.