Samuel "Sammie" Henson was born on January 1,1971 and is a World Champion wrestler, winning a gold medal in freestyle for the USA at the 1998 FILA Wrestling World Championships, held in Tehran, Iran.
24 Facts About Sammie Henson
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Sammie Henson was named USA Wrestling's Man of the Year in 1998.
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Sammie Henson is formerly the head coach at West Virginia University.
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Sammie Henson was head coach of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club.
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In 2015, Henson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
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Sammie Henson attended Francis Howell High School in St Charles, Missouri.
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Sammie Henson was a member of the 1986 and 1987 State Championship teams.
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Sammie Henson began his college wrestling career at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri.
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Sammie Henson chose Missouri because it was close to home, and because he wanted to prove that he could win for his in-state school.
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Sammie Henson proved the point by becoming a Big 8 champion, and an All-American in his freshman year, winning fifth place at the 1991 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
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Sammie Henson achieved this despite being the seventh seed in the tournament.
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Sammie Henson won back to back NCAA titles at 118 pounds in 1993 and 1994.
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Sammie Henson then returned to the University of Missouri to finish his degree, graduating in 1995 with a degree in Park, Recreation and Tourism Management.
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Sammie Henson was inducted into Clemson's Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Sammie Henson was one of Clemson's last wrestlers and named one of ACC's Top 100 athletes in a conference more known for basketball.
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Sammie Henson won a gold medal in Greco-Roman at the 1990 US Open, and placed 4th in the event at the 1998 Open.
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In freestyle at the US Open, Sammie Henson placed 4th in 1995, won silver medals in 1997 and 2004, and won the gold in 1998,2000, and 2005.
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Sammie Henson was an Olympic qualifier in 1988, won silver at the Olympic Trials in 1992 and 2004, and won the gold in the 2000 Olympic Trials held in Dallas, Texas.
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Sammie Henson would go on to win the Silver in Sydney.
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Sammie Henson has worked at the University of Oklahoma, Penn State University, West Point, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the University of Nebraska as an assistant coach.
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Sammie Henson helped coach Michael Lightner and Byron Tucker to NCAA titles at Oklahoma, and helped coach Nebraska's Paul Donahoe to an NCAA crown in 2007.
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In just two years at Penn State, Sammie Henson helped Coach Troy Sunderland build up the Nittany Lions program from 35th to 6th nationally, with two top-five recruiting classes.
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Sammie Henson was at the University of Missouri as the assistant head coach under Brian Smith and was the head coach of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club until 2014.
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In May 2014, Sammie Henson was appointed head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.