Douglas Blubaugh

Who was Douglas Blubaugh?

Douglas Morlan Blubaugh was an American wrestler and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where he received a gold medal in freestyle welterweight, defeating the five-time world champion, the legendary Iranian Wrestler Emam-Ali Habibi.

Blubaugh, born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, was a two-time AAU Champion at Oklahoma State University before he made the 1960 Olympic team. While a student at OSU, Blubaugh was initiated as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity; in January 2011, he was inducted into the TKE Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

For his efforts in Rome, Blubaugh was named the World’s Outstanding Wrestler in 1960. Blubuagh later became wrestling coach at Indiana University, and his son followed him as a top high school wrestler.

He resided in Tonkawa, Oklahoma until his death in an accident while riding his motorcycle.

Blubaugh continued to be an ambassador for the sport of wrestling until his death on May 16, 2011 at the age of 76.