Myron Roderick

Myron Roderick has always been a fierce competitor as a wrestler, coach, businessman and administrator.

In his three years as a wrestler at Oklahoma State University under coach Art Griffith he won 42 of 44 matches, three national collegiate championships and placed fourth in the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia.

After graduating in 1956, Roderick was hand picked by Griffith to continue the great coaching tradition originated by Edward C. Gallagher. With confidence in his leadership abilities, pride and Olympic achievements, Roderick would become the youngest wrestling coach at a major university in the country at the age of 22.

He led the Cowboys to the NCAA team title at the age of 23 in 1958 and was the youngest coach to ever direct a national championship team of any sport. In 13 years of coaching, he produced seven NCAA team championships and his Cowboys won 140 dual meets, losing only 10 and tying seven. He coached his teams to two national amateur championships and was picked to coach the U.S. Team in the 1963 Olympic Games.

Three of Roderick's protégés that won gold medals were Shelby Wilson and Doug Bluebaugh in 1960 at Rome and Yojiro Uetake in 1964 at Tokyo and again in 1968 in Mexico City. At the conclusion of his coaching career, he became the first executive director of the United State Wrestling Federation, establishing the national governing body for the Olympic sport.

During his five year tenure, he originated the concept of the Hall of Fame for wrestling and launched a successful campaign to create a national museum now located in on the campus of OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He returned to OSU as director of athletics, serving seven years. Roderick was the youngest person to be inducted into the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame and was named Coach of the Year in 1959, 1962 and 1966.

He joined Gallagher and Griffith as one of the first people enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Roderick is one of few men who could enter the Hall of Fame as a wrestler, coach or contributor - or all three.