RIP-Coach Blubaugh

[r.payton@att.net]

Former Wrestler of the World in 1960 and my coach at IU , Doug Blubaugh < passed away May 17,2011 from an aotomobile/ bike wreck .

RIP Coach.



Douglas Morlan Blubaugh (December 31, 1934 - May 16, 2011) , 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 Emam-Ali Habibi.[1]
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.[citation needed]

For his efforts in Rome, Blubaugh was named the World?s Outstanding Wrestler in 1960.[citation needed] Blubuagh later became wrestling coach at Indiana University,[1] 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.[1]
Blubaugh continued to be an ambassador for the sport of wrestling until his passing May 16, 2011. He was 76.

[quinn14]

I saw that on Flo. I actually went to his wrestling camp back in the 80's. It was in Indiana at the time. The dude was great! We stayed in a barn with the older kids upstairs in beds and us younger kids downstairs is sleeping bags on the mats. The only way to get to the upstairs was to make an older kid submit during the nightly pillow fight (actually it was wet clothes in a pillow case swung violently). I never made it upstairs but one kid did. He was promptly wrapped up in mat tape during the night by the older guys. You should of heard the squeals as they ripped that tape off in the morning. Blubaugh just shook his head and kept teaching.

He always said that you only need one takedown and one pin move, done really good, to win. He was about the basics. The wrestling world will miss him.

[r.payton@att.net]

I worked at ''TOP OF THE WORLD'' in 78 or 79-Coach always kept it basic-Russian 2 on 1-underhooks , hooks from the top and just get your ass up when on bottom !! I still see kids today using the ''Blubaugh'' cut out stand up and a ton of front headlock stuff. I was there when the time rules changed from 3,3,3, to 2,2,2, and he cussed out russians for that-he cussed out russians alot- ''as he used to say you damn near have to kill a Russian to win a decision''.
His pinning of the Iranian Terror is still one of the greatest upsets of all time .

[vaisforlovers]

Most clutch pancake of all time!! I met him at NCAA's a few years ago and he was humble and friendly as can be. He was living life til the last moment it seems and that's good to know.

[Laynerz]

He seemed like a cool dude. To be honest, I hadn't ever heard of him until Flowrestling started uploading several interviews with him and Jack Spates. Later I watched his match with Habibi, tough S.O.B