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    Mark Palmer •

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    Pat Smith, Yojiro Uetake Obata into Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame

    Two all-time great Oklahoma State wrestlers -- Pat Smith, and Yojiro Uetake Obata -- are among the Class of 2015 to be welcomed into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Monday, Aug. 3.

    Pat Smith, a member of the storied Smith wrestling family of NCAA All-Americans, made history of his own when he became the first wrestler to win four NCAA Division 1 individual national championships. The Oklahoma State Cowboy earned NCAA titles in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994, compiling a 121-5-2 record, including a school record for consecutive matches without a loss (98). After graduating, Smith served as an assistant wrestling coach at his college alma mater for 11 years. In 2007, Smith moved to Little Rock to open the Arkansas Wrestling Academy to help start wrestling in the state. Since then, wrestling has been approved as an official high school sport in Arkansas, and a number of colleges have launched wrestling programs in that state.

    Yojiro Uetake Obata
    Yojiro Uetake Obata is often considered to be THE college wrestler of the 1960s, earning a place on the NCAA 75th anniversary list of fifteen all-time greatest wrestlers in 2005, and on a 2013 list of nine top collegiate matmen compiled by wrestling historians for Amateur Wrestling News magazine. Uetake came to Oklahoma State from Gumma, Japan, where he crafted a perfect 58-0 record, winning three Big Eight Conference titles, and three NCAA championships in 1964-66 (along with being named that tournament's Outstanding Wrestler as a junior and senior). The Cowboy affectionately known to wrestling fans as "Yo-jo" won two gold medals for his native Japan at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

    In addition to Smith and Uetake Obata, others being inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame include Kurt Burris (football), Jack "Jumping Jack" McCracken (basketball), Ralph Terry (baseball), and Steve Zabel (football). Burris and McCracken will be inducted posthumously. Ceremonies will take place at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

    Founded in 1986, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes of all sports at every level with ties to the state of Oklahoma. It is not affiliated with any specific university. Currently, 152 Oklahoma sports figures, and two "teams of legend" have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including a number of former college wrestlers.
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