Mike Houck (born 1959) is an American former Greco-Roman wrestler. In 1985, he became the first American to win a

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning the 90 kg title. In 2008, Houck was inducted into the

National Wrestling Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stil ...

as a Distinguished Member.

Early life and education

Houck wrestled at Robbinsdale High School in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He would then attend Maranatha Baptist Bible College, where he won two

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic c ...

(NCCAA) titles, before turning his attention to Greco-Roman wrestling.

Greco-Roman wrestling career

Houck won the first ever

in USA Greco-Roman wrestling history, by winning the 90 kg title at the 1985 World Championships in

Kolbotn Kolbotn is an Urban areas in the Nordic countries#Urban areas in Norway, urban area in Norway's Nordre Follo municipality in Akershus county. Kolbotn is in the centre of the traditional district, Oppegård. The population is about 6,000. Kolbotn ...

, Norway. He won three USA Wrestling national Greco-Roman titles and one AAU title. He competed on three U.S. World Teams, and made two

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

appearances. Houck barely missed the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

, finishing second at the U.S. Olympic trials in 1984 and 1988.Seven inducted into the Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame
''theguillotine.com''. Retrieved March 15, 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houck, Mike 1959 births Living people Greco-Roman wrestlers American male sport wrestlers 20th-century American sportsmen