Dremiel Byers

Dremiel Byers (born September 11, 1974) is an American former wrestler in the Greco-Roman discipline. 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]

Dremiel Byers
Weight120 kg (265 lb)
Born (1974-09-11) September 11, 1974
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
High schoolKings Mountain High School
State championships1 (North Carolina)
CollegeNorth Carolina A&T
Olympic teamUnited States of America
Medal record
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2002 Moscow120 kg
Bronze medal – third place2007 Baku120 kg
Silver medal – second place2009 Herning120 kg
Dremiel Byers (top) lifts an opponent at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Early life and education

Dremiel Byers was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised by a single mother in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Byers 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 he was an All-State wrestler and won the North Carolina state high school heavyweight championship in 1993.[2]

Byers attended North Carolina A&T for one year on a football scholarship. Byers studied Animal Science. He was forced to give up his scholarship to take care of family matters. After giving up his scholarship, he signed a 2-year enlistment for the US Army.

Wrestling career

Byers Senior level wrestling career started after he joined the World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) 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. 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.[3]

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.[4]

References
  1. Hall of Fame biography: Dremiel Byers, Distinguished Member. Team USA. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  2. Ford, A. (2018, May 3). Wrestling champ Byers to join Hall class. Retrieved 4 March 2019 from, https://www.shelbystar.com/sports/20180503/wrestling-champ-byers-to-join-hall-class.
  3. Dremiel Byers | National Wrestling Hall of Fame. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. Dremiel Byers. Team USA. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
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