Rick Sanders (wrestler)

Rick Sanders
Sanders (top) at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
BornJanuary 20, 1945 (1945-01-20)
Lakeview, Oregon, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1972(1972-10-18) (aged 27)
Skopje, Yugoslavia
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamPortland State
ClubMultnomah Athletic Club
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1968 Mexico City52 kg
1972 Munich57 kg
World Championships
1969 Mar del Plata52 kg
1967 New Delhi52 kg
1966 Toledo52 kg
Pan American Games
1967 Winnipeg57 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing Portland State
NAIA Championships
1965 Terre Haute115 lb
NCAA Division I Championships
1966 Ames115 lb
1967 Kent115 lb
1968 State College123 lb
NCAA Division II Championships
1967 Wilkes-Barre115 lb
1968 Mankato123 lb
1966 Mankato123 lb

Richard Joseph "Rick" Sanders (January 20, 1945 – October 18, 1972) was an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler. He won gold medals at the 1967 Pan American Games and 1969 World Championships, finishing second at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and 1967 World Championships. After the 1972 Olympics, while traveling to Greece, he was killed in a car accident in Skopje, Yugoslavia. In 1987, Sanders was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.