# Kendall Cross > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kendall_Cross > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kendall_Cross.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendall_Cross > Source revision: 1304830495 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American wrestler (born 1968)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Kendall Cross | image = | caption = | fullname = Kendall Duane Cross | birth_date = {{birth-date and age|February 24, 1968}} | birth_place = [Hardin, Montana](/source/Hardin%2C_Montana), U.S. | hometown = [Mustang, Oklahoma](/source/Mustang%2C_Oklahoma), U.S. | country = United States | team = USA | sport = [Wrestling](/source/Wrestling) | event = [Freestyle](/source/Freestyle_wrestling) and [Folkstyle](/source/Collegiate_wrestling) | club = [Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club](/source/Sunkist_Kids) | collegeteam = [Oklahoma State](/source/Oklahoma_State_Cowboys_wrestling) | headercolor = lightsteelblue | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport | Men's [freestyle wrestling](/source/freestyle_wrestling)}} {{Medal|Country|the {{USA}}}} {{MedalCompetition | [Olympic Games](/source/Wrestling_at_the_Summer_Olympics) }} center|80px {{Medal|Gold | [1996 Atlanta](/source/1996_Summer_Olympics) | [57 kg](/source/Wrestling_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_freestyle_57_kg)}} {{MedalCompetition|[World Cup](/source/Wrestling_World_Cup)}} {{MedalGold| 1997 Stillwater |57 kg}} {{MedalCompetition|[Pan American Championships](/source/Pan_American_Wrestling_Championships)}} {{MedalBronze|1992 Albany|57 kg}} {{MedalCompetition|Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin}} {{Medal|Gold|1992 Krasnoyarsk| 57 kg }} {{MedalCompetition|[Junior World Championships](/source/World_Junior_Wrestling_Championships)}} {{MedalBronze|1986 Schifferstadt|56 kg}} {{MedalSport | [Collegiate Wrestling](/source/Collegiate_wrestling)}} {{MedalCountry|the [Oklahoma State Cowboys](/source/Oklahoma_State_Cowboys_wrestling)}} {{MedalCompetition|[NCAA Division I Championships](/source/NCAA_Division_I_Wrestling_Championships)}} {{MedalGold|[1989 Oklahoma City](/source/1989_NCAA_Division_I_Wrestling_Championships)|126 lb}} {{MedalBronze|1990 College Park|126 lb}} {{MedalCompetition|[Big 8 Championships](/source/Big_Eight_Conference)}} {{MedalGold|1989 Ames|126 lb}} {{MedalGold|1990 Lincoln|126 lb}} {{MedalSilver|1988 Norman|126 lb}} }} '''Kendall Duane Cross''' (born February 24, 1968) is an American [freestyle wrestler](/source/freestyle_wrestler), wrestling coach and [Olympic](/source/Olympic_Games) gold medalist. He won the gold medal at the [1996 Summer Olympics](/source/Wrestling_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics) in Atlanta, Georgia, where he wrestled in the 57 kilogram (125.5 pounds) weight class. He defeated [Guivi Sissaouri](/source/Guivi_Sissaouri) of [Canada](/source/Canada) 5–3 in the final match.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/olympics/daily/wrestlng/july/31/angle.htm|title=Americans Angle, Cross Capture Wrestling Golds |access-date=2008-07-05 | work=The Washington Post | date=2000-08-13}} Cross also competed at the [1992 Summer Olympics](/source/Wrestling_at_the_1992_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_freestyle_57_kg) where he placed sixth. He had defeated the eventual winner and the two-time world champion [Alejandro Puerto](/source/Alejandro_Puerto) of Cuba in a previous tournament but lost 10–6 in round six of the elimination rounds.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/130944 |title=Bantamweight, Freestyle (≤57 kilograms), Men |work=Sports Reference |access-date=21 March 2024}} His [bracket](/source/Wrestling_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_freestyle_57_kg) at the 1996 Olympics is considered one of the deepest of all time, with 8 former or future World and Olympic champions competing in the event. ==Early career== In high school, Cross wrestled for [Mustang High School](/source/Mustang_High_School) in [Mustang, Oklahoma](/source/Mustang%2C_Oklahoma) where he won a state title. He wrestled collegiately for [Oklahoma State University](/source/Oklahoma_State_University) where he was a three time All-American and won the NCAA Championship in 1989.{{cite web|url=http://blackmagic.com/ses/wrest/cross/ |title=Kendall Cross Home Page |access-date=2008-07-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524154838/http://blackmagic.com/ses/wrest/cross/ |archive-date=2010-05-24 }} Kendall graduated from [OSU](/source/Oklahoma_State_University) with a major in political science and economics.{{cite web|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CR018.html|title=Kendall Cross|access-date=2008-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003020528/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CR018.html|archive-date=2009-10-03|url-status=dead}} ==Highlight achievements== *Distinguished Member of the [National Wrestling Hall of Fame](/source/National_Wrestling_Hall_of_Fame_and_Museum), inducted 2002{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/awards/?dm&honoree=793 |title=National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum |access-date=2006-09-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030728172903/http://www.wrestlinghalloffame.org/awards/?dm&honoree=793 |archive-date=July 28, 2003 }} *Three time US National Champion *Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler at the U. S. Nationals, 1992 and 1995 *1997 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year{{cite web|url=http://mawaonline.org/mawa/getArticleDetails.asp?lngArticleIdQuery=348&txtgArticleTypeQuery=A|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103094351/http://mawaonline.org/mawa/getArticleDetails.asp?lngArticleIdQuery=348&txtgArticleTypeQuery=A|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 3, 2005|title=Kendall Cross's Bio: Olympic Champion}} *1992 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin Tournament Champion (he defeated the strong world wrestler [Bagavdin Umakhanov](/source/Bagavdin_Umakhanov)){{cite book|title=All about freestyle wrestling|year=1997|publisher=Project-Press|location=Vladikavkaz|language=Russian|pages=190}}[https://yarigin-museum.ru/heritage/organizations/gran-pri-ivan-yarygin Museum of Ivan Yarygin. Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin.] *Espoir National and Espoir World Cup Champion, 1988 *Bronze medal at Junior World Championships, 1986 *World Cup Champion, 1997 *Olympic Champion, 1996 ==Coaching== After college he served as an assistant coach at [University of North Carolina Chapel Hill](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_Chapel_Hill) in Chapel Hill, NC while training for the Olympics. He also served as a coach for the Sunkist Kids and the Dave Schultz Wrestling Clubs. Kendall went on to become an assistant coach at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) and worked at [Merrill Lynch](/source/Merrill_Lynch) in [Boston](/source/Boston). While in [Boston](/source/Boston), he founded the Kendall Cross Gold Medal Wrestling Club, which developed young athletes. Then after moving to Dallas, helped coach at Dallas Dynamite, with other Olympians [Brandon Slay](/source/Brandon_Slay) and [Jamill Kelly](/source/Jamill_Kelly). In addition to helping coach at Dallas Dynamite, he also coaches at Trinity Christian Academy. ==Family== Kendall has two children, Kennedy and London Cross, and currently resides in [New York City](/source/New_York_City). ==See also== * [List of Oklahoma State University Olympians](/source/List_of_Oklahoma_State_University_Olympians) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20091003020528/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CR018.html Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Cross, Kendall] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090901032017/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/cr/kendall-cross-1.html Kendall Cross Biography and Statistics - Olympics at Sports-Reference.com] {{Footer Olympic Champions freestyle wrestling bantamweight}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Kendall}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Harvard Crimson coaches Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling Category:Wrestlers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:American male sport wrestlers Category:People from Hardin, Montana Category:People from Mustang, Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestlers Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:20th-century American sportsmen {{Oklahoma-sport-stub}} {{US-Olympic-medalist-stub}} {{US-weightlifting-bio-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kendall Cross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendall_Cross) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendall_Cross?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.