Tommy DantzlerLike father, like son.
When Tommy Dantzler signed a contract to become a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident-athlete in Greco-Roman wrestling this week, a bit of history was made. Not to mention a family connection.
Tommy, who is about to graduate from high school, is following in his father T.C. Dantzler's footsteps as a resident-athlete at the Colorado Springs-based USOTC.
The Dantzler duo is believed to be the first father-son team to have both participated as USOTC Greco resident-athletes since the program was established in 1993, according to KKTV.
After making the commitment to train at the USOTC Greco program, Tommy Dantzler announced his decision on Twitter:
"For the past few months in my mind I had it set that I was going to play football in college and make it when in reality I've ALWAYS loved GRECO more so it's been a gift that God had given me since birth. I have been wrestling my whole life and it just would not have felt right leaving that foundation that I had just started to build for myself. So with that being said, I am beyond blessed to announce that after (high school) graduation I will be training at the Olympic Training Center with the Greco-Roman residency program in my hometown of Colorado Springs, and will attend the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs…"
Tommy Dantzler is following in some pretty big footsteps. His father T.C. Dantzler managed to make the most of his experience as a former USOTC resident-athlete, wrestling for the Team USA Greco squad at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as five World championships. After completing his long and successful Greco career, the elder Dantzler settled in Colorado Springs, where he established a business, raised his family and developed a local wrestling club.
Then again, Tommy Dantzler may well be on his way to emulating his dad's success. He recently placed sixth in the national tournament for wrestlers ages 17-20, the UWW (United World Wrestling) Junior National Championships in Greco-Roman held in Las Vegas.
It's easy to understand why the father approves of his son's decision.
"To be back here, where I came to train in 1995 for just two weeks, and I have been ever since, it is great to have my son commit to the program and try to win a gold medal for the best country in the world," T.C. Dantzler told KKTV. "This is the best training facility in the world to train in Greco-Roman wrestling."
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