Lloyd Weldon "Butch" Keaser (born February 9, 1950) is an American former wrestler who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics for the United States in freestyle wrestling. In 1973, he won a gold medal at the World Championships and became the first African American to achieve this honor.

Lloyd Keaser
Personal information
BornFebruary 9, 1950 (1950-02-09) (age 74)
Pumphrey, Maryland, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamNavy
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1976 Montreal 68 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1973 Tehran 68 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1975 Mexico City 68 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Navy Midshipmen
NCAA Division I Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1972 College Park 142 lb

Wrestling career

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Keaser was born in Pumphrey, Maryland. He wrestled for the United States Naval Academy and was a two-time NCAA All American, placing fourth as junior and third as a senior. He was an alternate on the 1972 USA Olympic team to Dan Gable. In 1973, he won a gold medal at the World Championships and became the first African American to achieve this honor. In 1976, he won the silver medal at the Montreal Olympics in freestyle wrestling. Keaser is now the wrestling coach at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland.

In 1996, Keaser was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[1]

Bibliography

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  • Moffat, James V. 2007. Wrestlers At The Trials. Exit Zero Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9799051-0-0
  • Hammond, Jairus K. & Little, Lisa. 2008. The African American Wrestling Experience. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Moore, Roger. 2009. Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

References

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  1. ^ Lloyed Keaser. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
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