Scherr Named Finalist for Olympic Team Coach

Lincoln-Former Nebraska wrestler Bill Scherr has been chosen by USA Wrestling as a finalist candidate to serve as a coach for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in women’s freestyle wrestling.

 

Named as finalists for the volunteer women’s coaching position for the U.S. team that will compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China are:

• Tadaaki Hatta of Elyria, Ohio
• Bill Scherr of Glenview, Ill.
• Troy Steiner of Corvallis, Ore.
• Levi Weikel-Magden of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The four finalists were selected by USA Wrestling’s Women’s Coach Selection Committee. One of these four volunteer coaches will be selected to serve on the coaching staff at the Beijing Games, along with USA Wrestling’s National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner.

 

All four finalists will be given a formal telephone interview with the Women’s Coach Selection Committee. After the interview process, the Women’s Coach Selection Committee will select the two coaches which the committee recommends for the Olympic coaching positions.

 

USA Wrestling’s Executive Committee will then meet to approve the selections of the Women’s Coach Selection Committee. The decision of the Executive Committee will be forwarded to the U.S. Olympic Committee for final approval as USA Wrestling’s nominees for the Olympic Coach positions.

 

USA Wrestling expects its Olympic Coach selection process to be completed by late-November.

 

Bill Scherr, Glenview, Ill.

 

Scherr served as a World Team coach of the 2006 U.S. Women’s World Team, which competed in Guangzhou, China and placed seventh in the World Championships, led by two medalists

 

Scherr was a World Team coach of the 2005 U.S. Women’s World Team which competed in Budapest, Hungary, placed third in the team standings and featured four medalists, including World champion Iris Smith.

 

He is a coach for the women wrestlers with the Sunkist Kids, which won the 2007 U.S. Nationals team title and placed five athletes on the 2007 U.S. World Team.

 

Scherr was an assistant coach at NorthwesternUniv. last year, which placed fourth at the NCAA Championships, its highest finish in school history. He currently coaches the Wildcat WC freestyle wrestlers and is a volunteer with NorthwesternUniv. program.

 

He was an assistant coach at IndianaUniversity for five years, from 1984-89, working with coach Jim Humphrey. The team was 2-17 the season before his arrival and had a 15-0 record his final year with the program. Scherr is also a widely respected clinician, working numerous camps and clinics around the nation.

 

Scherr was one of the greatest wrestlers in U.S. freestyle history. He was a 1985 World champion and a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist. He ran off an amazing five-year run of consecutive World-level medals for the United States from 1985-89. He was also a 1986 and 1989 World silver medalist and a 1987 World bronze medalist. His five consecutive World-level medals is one of U.S. wrestling’s greatest feats.

 

Bill Scherr was a two-time World Cup champion, a Pan American Games champion, a World Grand Masters champion, a Goodwill Games champion and a four-time U.S. Nationals champion. In 1992, he made a late comeback to the sport, winning the U.S. Nationals title and making the finals of the Olympic Team Trials where he placed second. He is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

 

Scherr was a 1984 NCAA champion at the Univ. of Nebraska, where he starred alongside his twin brother Jim. He was also a two-time high school state champion from Mobridge, S.D.

 

He is a leader in the effort to bring the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago, serving as chairman of World Sport Chicago as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Chicago 2016.

 

Professionally, he is a Vice President with Goldman Sachs & Co.