Les Gutches (born Leslie Lyle Gutches on February 21, 1973 in Medford, Oregon) is an American former amateur wrestler and coach. His accomplishments include becoming the World Champion in Freestyle Wrestling at the 1997 World Wrestling Championships, the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler in 1996, becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in the 177Â lb. weight division in both 1995 and 1996, earning All-American status in 1994, 1995 & 1996, becoming a member of the 1996 United States Olympics freestyle wrestling team, and winning numerous other tournaments and honors.
Youth
Gutches grew up in a family of wrestlers with his father Les Senior, a retired Fire Captain, being the first Gutches state champion. Les's siblings are Jason, a chiropractor and Chad, a home builder. Les Gutches grew up in Southern Oregon and has the unique distinction of winning national championships in all of the wrestling age groups, including three state titles while a student at South Medford High School.
College
Considered the university's best wrestler in modern history with a 134-10 record, Gutches had a tremendous collegiate wrestling career as a four-year letterman of the Oregon State Beavers wrestling team, culminating in winning the Dan Hodge Trophy as the best college wrestler in the United States in 1996. He placed 5th at the NCAA championships in 1994, and went on to win the title in both 1995 and 1996, years in which he was undefeated with an identical 69-0 record. This earned him All-American status each of the three years, which is awarded to the top 8 athletes in each weight class every year.
He graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Anthropology and a minor in German Language in 1996. Some years later he completed requirements for the bachelor's degree in German Literature, and in 2006 graduated with a Master's degree in Business Administration and was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. He was also a three-time NCAA First-Team Academic All-American as an undergraduate.
International
Gutches achieved his greatest accomplishment in 1997, when he won the gold medal in Freestyle Wrestling at the 32nd FILA Wrestling World Championships against a Ukrainian opponent in Siberia. Gutches again medalled in 1999, when he won the bronze.
Other first finishes at international competitions were at the 1999 FILA Wrestling World Cup, the 1999 Pan American Games, and the 1998 Goodwill Games.
He was also a 1996 Olympian.
Coaching
Gutches was a full-time assistant coach at Oregon State from 1996â€"1999, a volunteer coach in 2001, and again a full-time assistant coach in 2002â€"2006, coaching five wrestlers to All-American honors.
He was also an assistant coach for the United States National Team at the 2002 Freestyle World Cup, his team winning the title that year.
Personal
In January 2010, it was announced that Gutches had been named the Director of Program Development for USA Wrestling. He was promoted to Associate Executive Director for Programs and Strategy in October 2012. Previously, he worked as a Commercial Loan Officer at Citizens Bank for four years, and lived in the Corvallis, Oregon region with his wife, the former Jennifer Busen, who played basketball at Oregon State. They presently live in Colorado Springs, Colorado with their daughter Alexis and son Logan. Gutches is one of the three founders of G3 Sports Performance Center in Corvallis, Oregon.
Accomplishments
Gutches has won numerous wrestling tournaments, awards and honors, including:
- 1989 USA Junior Greco-Roman Championships (178Â lb): 1st
- 1989 USA Cadet Greco-Roman Championships (182.5Â lb): 1st
- 1991 FILA Junior World Greco-Roman Champion (198Â lb): 1st
- 1992 FILA Junior World Freestyle Championships (198Â lb): 1st
- 1993 FILA Junior World Freestyle Championships (180.5Â lb): 1st
- 1993 USA University Freestyle Championships (180.5Â lb): 1st
- 1994 USA University Freestyle Championships (180.5Â lb): 1st
- 1994 NCAA Division I Collegiate Championships (177Â lb): 5th
- 1994 NCAA Division I All-American (177Â lb)
- 1995 NCAA Division I Collegiate Championships (177Â lb): 1st
- 1995 NCAA Division I All-American (177Â lb)
- 1996 NCAA Division I Collegiate Championships (177Â lb): 1st (Outstanding Wrestler)
- 1996 NCAA Division I All-American (177Â lb)
- 1996 Dan Hodge Trophy winner
- 1996 US Olympic Team Freestyle results (180.5Â lb): 7th
- 1996 USA Senior Freestyle Championships (180.5Â lb): 1st (Outstanding Wrestler)
- 1997 USA Senior Freestyle Championships (187.2Â lb): 1st
- 1997 FILA World Championships (187Â lb): 1st
- 1997 Athlete of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee
- 1998 USA Senior Freestyle Championships (187.2Â lb): 1st (Outstanding Wrestler)
- 1998 Goodwill Games Freestyle Wrestling (187Â lb): 1st
- 1998 FILA World Championships (187Â lb): 7th
- 1999 Yasar Dogu Tournament (187.25Â lb): 1st
- 1999 USA Senior Freestyle Championships (187.2Â lb): 1st
- 1999 Pan American Games (187.2Â lb): 1st
- 1999 FILA World Championships (187Â lb): 3rd
- 2000 USA Senior Freestyle Championships (187.2Â lb): 1st
Hall of Fame inductions
- 2003 Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame
- 2009 National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- 2011 Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
- 2012 Medford Sports Hall of Fame
References
External links
- Les Gutches - Distinguished Member - at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Les Gutches - Inductee at the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame