UI Wrestling's First Olympian Dies at 72

Thursday, June 8, 2006

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20060608/HAWKS0110/606080327/1053/RSS02

By Andy Hamilton
Iowa City Press-Citizen

The first Olympic champion in Iowa wrestling history finally encountered an opponent he couldn't conquer.

Terry McCann, who won two NCAA titles for the Hawkeyes and captured gold at the 1960 Olympics, died Wednesday after a bout with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure. He was 72.

"Terry was an outstanding person, an outstanding wrestler," said former Hawkeye Ken Leuer, who joined McCann in 1956 to become the first Iowa tandem to win NCAA titles in the same season. "He's an icon, a legend."

McCann grew up in Chicago and selected Iowa after the Hawkeyes hired coach David McCuskey from Iowa Teachers College in 1953. The following spring, McCann placed third at the NCAA meet at 115 pounds before winning national titles in each of the next two seasons despite chronic knee injuries.

McCann battled through knee problems and other obstacles on his way to winning gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He nearly missed the Olympic Trials because of illness and a knee injury.

When he got to Rome, he lost a bout early in the tournament and needed to pin an opponent from Russia to reach the medal rounds. McCann recorded the fall and went on to Olympic glory.

"Good wrestlers are never healthy," Leuer said. "They're always carrying one or two injuries, and the name of the game is wrestling through the hurt. Terry had a lot of knee problems and won the Olympics with a knee that was all torn apart."

Ironically, McCann believed the job that funded his Olympic dream also contributed to his death. While training for the Olympics, he worked at an oil refinery in Tulsa, Okla., where McCann claimed he was exposed to asbestos.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2005. Shortly after the diagnosis, McCann joined a class action lawsuit against asbestos manufacturers and became a spokesman against a proposal before Congress to impose limits on litigations against those companies.

McCann's impact on United States wrestling stretched beyond his career as an athlete. He helped found the sport's national governing body, which is now known as USA Wrestling.

"Terry was a tremendous wrestler as well as a leader within wrestling and the Olympic family," U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr said. "His tenure as president (of USA Wrestling) marked a time of significant progress for the sport. He was a well-respected leader within the Olympic family and rose to the top of the USOC."

In 1975, McCann was named the executive director of Toastmasters International, a non-profit organization in Southern California designed to help people develop communication and leadership skills. The California coast also drove his passion for surfing.

But McCann will be remembered by some for his speeches. Leuer recalled the time in 1996 when he invited McCann to speak to his Rotary Club in Columbus, Ga. McCann's speech titled "The Price of Gold" told his Olympic story and stoked emotions during the time the state was preparing for the Atlanta Games.

"One of the things I remember about the speech was (McCann saying), 'The price of gold is not what's on the market; it's far more costly because it comes from the heart and from the spirit. To win gold, you've got to give a lot more than just buying gold,'" Leuer said.

"He got a standing ovation that rocked the rafters. He had people with tears in their eyes."

Reach Andy Hamilton at 339-7368 or ahamilton@press-citizen.com.

More about Terry McCann

*** POSTED JUNE 8, 2006 ***