Jim Scherr - Inducted 2003

Born July 27, 1961 in Eureka. 1980 Mobridge HS grad. 1984 Nebraska grad. On and off the mat, Scherr has been a champion of the sport of wrestling. He competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, finishing fifth at 198 pounds (twin brother Bill won bronze at 220). He is the first Olympian ever to lead the U.S. Olympic Committee as its chief executive officer. He gained the title in 2005 after serving the organization and leading it through a critical period of reform and reconstruction beginning in 2003. He joined the USOC after being executive director of USA Wrestling from 1990-2000. The 1994 USA Wrestling Man of the Year, Scherr earned the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Order of Merit in 1997 and was named a Distinguished Member of the Hall of Fame in 2003. He has been appointed to numerous national and international committees. Scherr was a silver medalist at the world championships in 1987 and '89, World Cup champion in 1986 and '89 and second in '90, Pan Am champion in 1989 and U.S. Nationals champion in '86, '87 and '89. He was named the outstanding wrestler at the 1989 U.S. Nationals. At Nebraska, he was national champion at 174 pounds in 1984 and fifth in '83. At Mobridge, he was 86-20-2 and was a state champ at 167 pounds in 1980, helping the Tigers to their first state team title.