

Dave and Mark Schultz, two brothers that changed wrestling and combat sports forever. Two of the most prolific freestyle wrestlers USA Wrestling and the world have ever seen. In a few short days the film Foxcatcher will release taking us back to a cold January day in 1996 that robbed the world of one of its best men. Instead, of rehashing the loss of Dave Schultz, this is a time to relive the Schultz brother's great triumphs and journey through the wrestling world.



The two brothers won almost every accolade available to an amateur wrestler, their success is unprecedented and has never been reproduced. Their journey all began in Palo Alto High School in the 1970's. Characterized as being nonathletic and unassuming in his formative years. Dave showed up to practice day in and day out ready to learn. Dave would grow leaps and bounds in these years, becoming a technician in finding his strengths. His brother Mark would float in and out doing a multitude of sports. Every sport he tried he would excel in, many describing him as a natural athlete taking to whatever he did. In high school Mark would even win a Northern California gymnastics title before committing fully to wrestling. Mark would end up being the violent pressure wrestler taking full advantage of his physical gifts to dominate his opponents in great contrast to the technical fox that was his brother.



Dave lived and breathed wrestling, it became his one true passion. During school classmates would catch him wearing his wrestling shoes around his neck and his singlet under his clothes. Dave ignored getting his license to focus on more mat time. Dave learned early on he could not use the same physical gifts of his brother. He had to manipulate his opponents and outsmart them. The style Dave illustrated like a paint brush on the mats showed exactly that.



Mark started training a martial art called Tang Soo Do after quitting gymnastics in 1976 but within a few months Dave showed how much more effective wrestling was. Mark quit the martial art and started wrestling in Oregon. Mark would make the team, but the coach would pull him off the team unfairly. Mark would petition the Principal and would be reinstated, but no longer had faith in the coach. He would transfer back to Palo Alto to train with his brother.

With Dave's great success at the high school level, he was invited to the USA Olympic Wrestling Team. Dave would go to Tbilisi (now defunct) considered more difficult and in many cases more prestigious than even the Olympic gold. Now, why was Tbilisi so much more difficult? Countries could send more than one wrestler per weight class so if a nation had a stacked weight class of wrestlers they could send them all. At 18 years of age Dave instead of preparing for his state tournaments would go and face international monsters in eastern Europe's' Georgia.

Unbelievably Dave would actually place second in his weight class being the highest placing USA Wrestler to enter the tournament that year. When he returned stateside, he would find out he missed qualifying matches for state so he was ineligible to compete.



Dave's coach would plead and beg for the Phenom of a wrestler and had all the competing coaches sign a petition to allow Dave to compete. Now, either out of respect or curiosity the men signed the papers allowing the elder Schultz brother to take the State tournament by storm. Dave would have to move up two weight classes, but he would pin every opposing wrestler on the road to the final. There Dave would win 12 to 1 leaving his opponent nothing but a second place medal.



Mark only showed his true potential his senior year, while Dave had already jumped to college wrestling at Oklahoma State University. This is the year he showed he was Dave Schultz brother. Many friends and family said Mark looked up to Dave with much admiration, and it showed. When Mark came back he recorded a record of 15 wins 2 losses, winning every state tournament en-route to the state championship where he would claim victory in 1978. He made his brother proud and found himself a top prospect for NCAA Division 1 wrestling programs.

In 1981 Dave would blast through matches resulting in a twenty-nine wins with zero losses before the NCAA tournament.

In his freshman year at UCLA Mark would do well but would lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Mark would then transfer with Dave to University of Oklahoma in 1981.

On Dave's way to the NCAA tournament of 1981 he would put a show against prospect and future legend Mike Sheets winning, twenty to four and future opponent Ricky Stewart at the big 8 tournament four to two. Dave would then fight is way, clawing through opponents in the NCAA tournament. Through the event matches got tougher and tighter. Dave caught a close win leading to the finals against Perry Shea winning by a margin of one. This left him with one opponent a rematch with Ricky Stewart. Dave would lead the match three to one until the end of the second period, giving up a fireman's carry to Stewart which was his signature move pinning Schultz. This is what many believe pushed Dave to focus on freestyle and Olympic glory.

Mark would end up making it to the finals himself in 1981 against Mike DeAnna dominating the majority of the match resulting in a ten to four win for the Schultz brother. A pair of photos remain from that victory.

In 1982 Mark would make his second run at the NCAA title. Here Mark would face Ed Banach, a man who had won two NCAA titles already and was on his way to a third. Mark had jumped up in weight to 177 lbs so Dave could wrestle at 167 lbs, his natural weight class. The 177lb weight class this year was among the most stacked in Folkstyle wrestling history. Just the competitors in this weight class held four NCAA titles and included the likes of Banach, Matt Reiss, and Perry Hummel. Banach and his twin brother Lou were siblings, who both won the NCAA tournament and Olympic Gold medals. Many saw them as the steel that sharpened steel creating the Schultz brothers.

In this match considered by many to be one of the most exciting matches in NCAA history, Mark Schultz and Ed Banach go head to head in a tortuous match between the two. Mark focuses on his throws, trips and upper body techniques, while being averse to Banach's shots. Mark was a fearless wrestler and took it to Banach, but was a large underdog due to the fact that he was undersized at his new weight class. The match was filled with ups and downs for both men with Mark nearly losing by pin in the first thirty seconds to Banach hitting two fantastic throws on Banach, but in the end Mark sets a pace Banach can not keep and wears him out which was something few expected.

Sadly, no footage remains of the epic battle between Dave Schultz and Mike Sheets in the 1982 NCAA championship. The match would be tied in the third period four to four having the men go to overtime with Dave winning the tie breaker.

By 1983 Dave had fully committed his competitive life to Freestyle wrestling. Mark continued with his last remaining year of eligibility and pushed for a third championship. Mark would run through his competition that year, giving up a combined score of thirty-eight to sixteen in the NCAA tournament winning the 1983 Championship.

That same year Dave would win the FILA World Wrestling Championships in Kiev, Ukraine in the 74 kilogram weight class. His final match against the touted Russian Taram Magomadov which was incredibly exciting. It started out poorly for Schultz, but again he earned his nickname, 'Cunning Fox', by adapting on the fly to Magomadov's explosive single with great sprawls and reversals and a shoulder throw of his own.

This would prepare Dave well for the international competition he would face at the Olympics in 1984.

Come back for part two where we follow the Schultz brothers on their way to and through the Olympic games of 1984.