Jack van Bebber

Jack Francis "Blackjack" Vanbebber (July 27, 1907 – April 13, 1986) was an American wrestler and Olympic gold medalist at the 1932 Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling.

Jack van Bebber
Medal record
Men's Freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles Welterweight
Men's Collegiate wrestling
Representing Oklahoma A&M
NCAA Wrestling Championships
Gold medal – first place1929 Columbus155 lb
Gold medal – first place1930 State College165 lb
Gold medal – first place1931 Providence165 lb

Vanbebber was born and raised in Perry, Oklahoma. He attended and wrestled at Oklahoma A&M University and was a three-time NCAA national champion. He was coached by Edward C. Gallagher. He competed at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he received a gold medal in the freestyle welterweight division.[1]

He was severely injured in a wagon accident as a child, but his attitude and perseverance carried him through his injuries. Before his death, he was named one of the ten greatest amateur athletes in the western hemisphere for the first half of the 20th century. He once wrestled Frank Phillips (founder of Phillips 66) at his home in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In 1976, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[2]

Further reading
  • A Distant Flame: The Inspiring Story of Jack VanBebber's Quest for a World Olympic Title, tells more about his life.

References
  1. "1932 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles, United States – Wrestling" Archived 2008-06-12 at the Wayback Machine – databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on April 28, 2008)
  2. Jack VanBebber. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
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