Greater Lansing's best: Kevin Jackson made international mark in wrestling
· Yahoo Sports
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
In conjunction with the United States celebrating its 250th birthday this year, USA Today Co. newspapers in Michigan have been looking at some of the top athletes to come out of each region in the state.
Over the last few weeks, the Lansing State Journal has unveiled some of the top athletes to come out of Greater Lansing. This is among the final stories in our daily series taking a look at the top 10 male and female athletes from the region. These athletes are determined by more than just high school performance. Accomplishments in college and as a professional were also taken into consideration when determining the area's best.
The athletes are not ranked in order. Here is a look at our latest male athlete.
Kevin Jackson
The Eastern graduate is considered one of the top freestyle wrestlers in United States history with his top highlight being winning gold at 181 pounds in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He also captured titles at the 1991 and 1995 World Championships and was a four-time member of the U.S. world team.
Prior to finding international success that also included three World Cup gold medals and Pan American Games titles, Jackson shined on the mat at Eastern and then collegiately at LSU and Iowa State.
Jackson was a two-time state champion at Eastern before going on to being a four-time NCAA All-American in college. He spent his first three seasons wrestling at LSU and twice finished third at the NCAA meet. Jackson finished his career at Iowa State and was the runner-up and helped the Cyclones to a national title in 1987.
Jackson remains involved in the sport and was a head coach at Iowa State before becoming moving into his current role as an assistant at Michigan.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Greater Lansing's best: Kevin Jackson made international mark in wrestling