MN/USA Wrestling Remembers Darrell Gholar
Darrell was a real-life Renaissance man
Darrell Gholar — a distinguished University of Minnesota wrestler, three-time U.S. Greco-Roman national champion, captain of the 1986 U.S. World Team, and 1988 U.S. Olympic Team alternate — has passed away.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1985 and serving as a team captain, Gholar continued to represent the United States on the national and international stage. He later brought his wrestling expertise into mixed martial arts as a competitor, coach, and trainer, while also serving in assistant coaching roles at both the University of Minnesota and Drake University. Through instructional materials and hands-on mentorship, Gholar helped spread wrestling and submission grappling techniques to new audiences around the world. His competitive success and commitment to teaching left a lasting impact on generations of wrestlers and fighters.
Those who knew Darrell remember him as far more than an elite athlete.
Joe Reasbeck, a former University of Minnesota Division I wrestler who later trained for the Olympics in Greco-Roman, described Gholar as a true original.
“Darrell was a real-life Renaissance man,” Reasbeck said. “He spoke fluent Portuguese, decent Russian, could recite Shakespeare by heart, became recognized as one of the top poets in the U.S., and even wrote for Disney. And besides all that — he could beat your ass and just about anyone else in the world.”
Reasbeck recalled his first encounter with Gholar as a freshman at Minnesota, a moment orchestrated by legendary head coach J Robinson.
“He was the guy I had to wrestle my very first day as a freshman. J Rob wanted to teach me a lesson about what kind of shoes I was supposed to wear as a Gopher wrestler,” Reasbeck said. “At the time, Darrell was the reigning Greco-Roman national champion. You’d see him in the weight room doing flys with 100 pounds in each hand. Needless to say, it didn’t go well for me.”
On the mat, Gholar was known for his explosiveness and creativity. Dan Chandler — Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and legendary competitor and coach for MN Storm — recalled Gholar’s unique style and presence.
“If you leaned into him even a little, you were going for a ride. He was explosive on his feet with a great duck-under, whip-over, and foot sweep. He also had a great sense of humor and was loved by everyone.”
Two-time U.S. Greco-Roman Olympian Mike Foy shared how deeply Gholar impacted his wrestling career — and his life.
“Darrell was the kind of guy who excelled at everything,” Foy said. “He was a writer, poet, American Gladiator, world-class wrestler, and he wrote for Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. But to me, he was my roommate, my dear friend, and my matside coach.”
Foy recalled the 1988 Olympic Team Trials, a period that showcased both Minnesota’s dominance in Greco-Roman wrestling and Gholar’s selflessness.
“When I wrestled Mike Houck — a reigning world champion and my MN Storm teammate — in the best-of-three series, neither of us had a coach in our corner for the first match, which I lost,” Foy said. “For the second match, Houck had someone sitting in his corner. Darrell jumped up and filled that role for me. I went on to win matches two and three and made my first Olympic team.”
At the time, Minnesota was the epicenter of Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States. “40 percent of the 1988 Olympic Greco team was training in Minnesota,” Foy said. What made the moment even more remarkable was that Gholar was pursuing his own Olympic dream.
“Darrell was there to compete himself,” Foy said. “He had lost to John Morgan for his spot on the team, yet if you watch the footage, you see Darrell genuinely fist-pumping and celebrating when I won. He couldn’t have been happier for me.”
Foy also shared a dramatic story from the same trials — one that may have altered Olympic history.
“I broke my hand in my first match of the tournament and the doctors wanted to pull me,” Foy said. “Darrell made me weigh in, got me to the hospital, had the bone set, put a splint on it, and got me back into the tournament. If he doesn’t do that, I don’t make the team — and I probably retire, because I was making good money with my career”
Foy would go on to make a second Olympic team and narrowly miss a third.
“Darrell and I talked multiple times a day,” Foy said. “We’d argue about barbecue and why he should give up on making his own and just use my championship recipe. I’m going to miss those conversations.”
Before his collegiate and international success, Gholar was already making history. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he was an Illinois state champion who broke the high school pin record previously held by Laurence Tureaud — better known as Mr. T in the movie Rocky III.
He did a lot of cool things and was very intellectual. He was a good and loyal friend that made me better as a competitor and a person. I'm going to miss him. - Joe Reasbeck
As a competitor he was tough and along the way defeated future UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. Gholar later spent nearly a decade living in Brazil, where he trained many of the country’s top fighters during the early rise of mixed martial arts. After returning to the United States, he helped coach Dan Henderson and trained UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten in Beverly Hills. Many of the top MMA guys in the early days, Darrell either beat or coached. Had Gholar come along a few years later when the UFC blew up globally, he likely would be a household name in that community.
Darrell Gholar’s life is a powerful example of how wrestling — and the Olympic dream — can open doors. As a young man from Chicago, he used the discipline of the sport, a relentless curiosity, and a willingness to serve others to build a life that extended far beyond wins and losses. His journey carried him from Midwest wrestling rooms to the world stage, from Olympic trials to international coaching, and into the lives of countless athletes he challenged, supported, and believed in.
MN/USA Wrestling extends its heartfelt condolences to Darrell’s family and friends. We honor his legacy as a competitor, coach, mentor, and friend — and as proof that wrestling, when paired with character and generosity, can shape lives and leave a legacy truly worth documenting.
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