Leland Merrill

Leland Gilbert Merrill (born October 4, 1920 in Danville , Illinois , † July 28, 2009 in Princeton , New Jersey ) was an American wrestler . He won at the Olympic Games 1948 in London , a bronze medal in free style at welterweight .

Career

Leland Merrill began his wrestling career at McKinley School in Parkersburg. He then attended Parkersburg High School, where he was trained by Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder and became a successful high school wrestler. From 1938 to 1942 he studied at Michigan State University and wrestled very successfully in the wrestling team at this university. His trainer there was Fendey Collins. From 1943 to 1946 he did his military service and was temporarily deployed in Europe during the Second World War.

In addition to wrestling, he was also a semi-professional on a baseball team in 1947/48.

As a member of the New York Athletic Club , where he trained a lot with Henry Wittenberg and Frank Bissell , he started in 1947 for the first time in the US Championship (AAU Championships) and took third place in the welterweight division. In 1948 he was American champion (AAU champion) welterweight. He also defeated the multiple NCAA champion (US student champion) MA Northrup. He thus acquired the right to start in the US Olympic qualifications (Trials). He managed to emerge victorious, including defeating such strong wrestlers as William Smith , who was to become Olympic champion in Helsinki in 1952 , and Bill Nelson. He had to compete against Bill Nelson three times and won this duel with 2-1 victories.

At the London Olympics in 1948, Leland Merrill defeated free style welterweight Harry Peace , Canada, Frans Westergreen , Sweden, Hwang Byun-kwan , South Korea and Dick Garrard , Australia (2-1). He lost his last fight against the experienced Turk Yaşar Doğu on points. He came in third place and won the bronze medal.

He then ended his wrestling career and devoted himself increasingly to his scientific career, in which he obtained the "Masters" degree in 1948 and the doctorate in 1949 in the field of entomology. He then worked as a professor or institute director at various universities ( Rutgers University , Michigan State University). He last lived with his family in Princeton, New Jersey, where he died in 2009.

literature

• Documentation of FILA's International Wrestling Championships 1896 to 1976, 1976

Web links

• Leland Merrill in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Profile of Leland Merrill at the Institute of Applied Exercise Science
• Portrait of Leland G. Merrill