David Taylor (wrestler, born 1990)

David Taylor
Personal information
Full nameDavid Morris Taylor III
NicknameMagic Man[1]
Born (1990-12-05) December 5, 1990 (age 33)
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Home townSt. Paris, Ohio, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight86 kg (190 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamPenn State
ClubCowboy Wrestling Club
TeamUSA
Coached byCael Sanderson
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 86 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest 86 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Belgrade 86 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Belgrade 86 kg
Silver medal – second place 2021 Oslo 86 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Tirana 92 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2018 Iowa City Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Kermanshah Team
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Lima 86 kg
Gold medal – first place 2019 Buenos Aires 86 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Guatemala 86 kg
Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin
Gold medal – first place 2018 Krasnoyarsk 86 kg
World University Games
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kazan 74 kg
US Open Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Las Vegas 74 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 Las Vegas 86 kg
Gold medal – first place 2018 Las Vegas 86 kg
Silver medal – second place 2013 Las Vegas 74 kg
Silver medal – second place 2014 Las Vegas 74 kg
Silver medal – second place 2015 Las Vegas (SN) 86 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 St. Louis 165 lb
Gold medal – first place 2014 Oklahoma City 165 lb
Silver medal – second place 2011 Philadelphia 157 lb
Silver medal – second place 2013 Des Moines 165 lb
Big Ten Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Evanston 157 lb
Gold medal – first place 2012 West Lafayette 165 lb
Gold medal – first place 2013 Illinois 165 lb
Gold medal – first place 2014 Madison 165 lb

David Morris Taylor III (born December 5, 1990) is an American former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competed in the 74, 86 and 92-kilogram categories.[2] He is the current head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys.[3]

With his most prestigious accolades coming at 86 kilograms, Taylor was most notably the 2020 Summer Olympic gold medalist, a World champion in 2018, 2022 and 2023, and held one of the biggest rivalries in the sport's history against Hassan Yazdani.[4]

One of the most accomplished Nittany Lions in the history of the Penn State program, Taylor was twice the NCAA Division I National champion at 165 pounds, and earned the Dan Hodge Trophy two times during his collegiate years.[5]

  1. ^ Chris Bumbaca (August 5, 2021). "American David Taylor, aka 'Magic Man,' wins gold in Tokyo Olympics 86kg freestyle wrestling". USA Today. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "David Taylor Biography". Team USA. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "David Taylor retires from wrestling competition in taking Oklahoma State job". NBC Sports. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Spey, Andrew (May 8, 2024). "Remembering David Taylor's Insane 2018-2023 Freestyle Run". FloWrestling. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "About DT | David Taylor". www.m2wrestling.com. Retrieved December 14, 2020.