Dremiel Byers
Dremiel Byers (born September 11, 1974) is an American amateur wrestler in the Greco-Roman discipline. Byers joined the World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) in 1996, and worked his way to up to the pinnacle of his sport, becoming the 2002 World Champion, representing Team USA in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Dremiel Byers | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Weight | 120 kg (265 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||
Born | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | September 11, 1974|||||||||||||||||||
High school | Kings Mountain High School | |||||||||||||||||||
State championships | 1 (North Carolina) | |||||||||||||||||||
College | North Carolina A&T | |||||||||||||||||||
Olympic team | United States of America | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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![](../I/Dremiel_Byers_and_Jalmar_Sjoberg.jpg.webp)
Early life and education
Dremiel Byers was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised by a single mother in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Byers carries a childhood nickname, "Bam" or "Big Bam" to the current day. Byers earned this nickname from when he was a toddler, carrying a 1-pound dumbbell as a toy. He attended Kings Mountain High School, where he was an All-State wrestler, and the 1993 North Carolina heavyweight wrestling state champion.[1]
Byers attended North Carolina A&T for one year on a football scholarship. Byers studied Animal Science. He was forced to give up his scholarship to take care of family matters. After giving up his scholarship, he signed a 2-year enlistment for the US Army.
Wrestling career
Byers Senior level wrestling career started after he joined the World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) in 1996. He competed out of Colorado Springs, Colorado for the US Army, in the 120 kg (264.5 lbs) weight class. During his career he has had many accomplishments and awards as a wrestler. He was recognized as the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year for 2009, 2002, and 1999. Byers is currently tied with Matt Ghaffari, for the most Greco-Roman world medals by a United States wrestler, by achieving three world medals in his career.[2]
Personal life
Byers is an avid motorcyclist. He is a member of the motorcycle club Street Soldiers out of Denver, Colorado and is the Colorado Springs Chapter commander. Byers is a Sergeant First Class in the US Army.[3]
References
- Ford, A. (2018, May 3). Wrestling champ Byers to join Hall class. Retrieved 4 March 2019 from, https://www.shelbystar.com/sports/20180503/wrestling-champ-byers-to-join-hall-class.
- Dremiel Byers | National Wrestling Hall of Fame. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- Dremiel Byers. Team USA. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
External links
- http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=22129
- http://www.krdo.com/news/report-springs-poaching-suspect-is-soldier-olympian/27507860
- http://wrestling.teamusa.org/athletes/dremiel-byers
- http://www.army.mil/olympics/2008/bios/byers.html
- https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/usa/dremiel+byers/220319
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110902213851/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=1091/bio/index.html