Bill Borders

Bill Borders (born March 3, 1930) is an American former wrestler. He was a three-time Big Seven Conference champion at 123 lb (56 kg) from 1950 to 1952, and was the 1951 NCAA runner-up and 1952 NCAA champion for the University of Oklahoma.[1] and competed in the men's freestyle bantamweight at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[2] Borders and other members of the wrestling team did not participate in the opening ceremonies because tryouts were still in progress.[1]

Bill Borders
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born(1930-03-03)March 3, 1930
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Alma materUniversity of Oklahoma
OccupationAttorney
Sport
SportWrestling
Weight class125.5 lb (56.9 kg)
Coached byPort Robertson (1949-1952)

Borders won three consecutive individual Big Seven Conference titles at 123 lb (56 kg) from 1950 to 1952, helping the Oklahoma Sooners win team conference championships all three years.[3][4][5] In the 123 lb (56 kg) finals at the 1951 NCAA championships, Borders lost to Tony Gizoni of Waynesburg University in the championship match, though the Sooners still won the team title by one point over in-state rival Oklahoma State.[6] The following year, Borders captured the 1952 individual NCAA title at 123 lb (56 kg) with a victory over Will Howard of the University of Denver, with Oklahoma securing its second consecutive NCAA team title.[7]

During the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Borders won his first match against Swiss wrestler Paul Hänni before losing to Mohamed Mehdi Yaghoubi of Iran in the second round and eventual silver medalist Rashid Mammadbeyov in the third round. Borders later said in an interview, "We really didn't know that much about the international rules when we went over there... For instance, I was good at takedowns, but you didn't get any points for takedowns or escapes. You only got points for exposing your opponent's back to the mat. So, we had to adjust our style to the international style."[1]

Borders did not begin wrestling until his freshman year at Webster High School, taking advice from his gym coach to join the team. He began to take the sport seriously upon learning from a teammate that colleges gave scholarships to top wrestlers, ultimately earning a spot in the Oklahoma Sooners wrestling program coached by Port Robertson. Borders went on to practice law in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1]

References
  1. Klein, John (August 8, 2008). "Looking back". Tulsa World. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bill Borders Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  3. "17th Big 7 Wrestling Tournament at Kansas State" (PDF). wrestlingstats.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  4. "18th Big 7 Wrestling Tournament at Oklahoma" (PDF). wrestlingstats.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  5. "19th Big 7 Wrestling Tournament at Iowa State" (PDF). wrestlingstats.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  6. "21st NCAA Wrestling Tournament at Lehigh" (PDF). nwhof.org. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  7. "22nd NCAA Wrestling Tournament 3/28/1952 to 3/29/1952 at Colorado State" (PDF). nwhof.org. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
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