Alan Fried
Encyclopedia
Alan M. Fried is an American
amateur wrestler
. He was an NCAA National Champion, Espoir World Champion (20 years and under), three-time Ohio State Champion, and the first wrestler to win four Junior National Freestyle titles. He is also an author.
Fried began wrestling in the 5th grade at the Longwood YMCA
in Macedonia, Ohio
, where a trio of coaches had a major impact on him: head coach Dave Mariola and assistants Bernie Weiskopf and Tim Rutherford. A year later, he traveled to neighboring Pennsylvania to win the Pennsylvania Junior state championship; he repeated as champion the following two years prior to entering high school.
Despite being Jewish and living on Cleveland's east side, Fried attended St. Edward High School
, an all-boys catholic high school on the city's west side. The school was a wrestling powerhouse before Fried arrived, having won 8 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA)
"big school" state titles under legendary coach Howard E. Ferguson as well as several national titles. Fried helped add two more state titles to St. Edward's streak of 10 consecutive state championships (1978–1987). The streak was broken in 1988, Fried's junior year.
Fried flourished under the disciplined Ferguson. He had an tremendous high school wrestling career, amassing 139-3 record. He was a three-time Ohio State Champion (1987, 1988, 1989), and finished third (1986). He graduated from St. Edward in 1989.
He would also compete in the USA Junior Freestyle Championships, where he would become the first wrestler to win four Junior National Freestyle titles.
. The Cowboys
had a wrestling program steeped in tradition. He became a three-time All-America
n, reaching the NCAA finals in 1991 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), 1992 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), and 1994 (National Champion, 142 lbs.). His high placements helped the Cowboys become team NCAA National Champions in 1990 and 1994.
His career record at Oklahoma State was 129-6, which ranks as the second most wins all-time for the Cowboys. Five of his six collegiate losses came at the hands of 1996 Olympic gold medalist
and three-time NCAA champion Tom Brands
from the University of Iowa
. He also ranks third in career winning percentage (.956), fourth in most consecutive matches without a defeat (65), and seventh in career falls (44). He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
in Psychology
.
In international competition, Alan represented the USA on two age level World teams and in numerous Olympic age level international competitions. In the 20 years old and under World Championships in 1991, held in Previdza, Czechoslovakia
, Alan won the Gold Medal, beating the wrestler from the former Soviet Union
in the finals and was awarded the "Best Technical Wrestler" for the championships. In the 18 years old and under category, Fried placed 4th at World Championships in 1988, held in Wolfurt
, Austria
.
He finished 6th in the 1996
and 2000 Olympic Trials
, both at 152 lbs., and missed the U.S. Olympic Team
. Injuries to his back and shoulder as well as a broken elbow had taken a toll and required two back surgeries in 1996 and two shoulder surgeries. These issues factored into his retirement from wrestling in 2000.
ate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
in 2002 and passed the Illinois State Bar Examination in 2003. After the passing of both his parents from inoperable and aggressive glioblastoma brain cancer, Fried moved back to Cleveland. He briefly took a position as law clerk
at Reminger & Reminger, Co. L.P.A., where his brother Adam is a partner and practices probate law. Alan passed the Ohio Bar Examination in 2005 and practiced law in Cleveland until mid-2007, when he relocated back in Chicago, Illinois to become a Futures Trader
.
In 2005, he wrote a book with contributor Nicholas Rizzo M.D., The Arsenal: The Wrestler's Training Log ISBN 0-9748220-2-7.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
. He was an NCAA National Champion, Espoir World Champion (20 years and under), three-time Ohio State Champion, and the first wrestler to win four Junior National Freestyle titles. He is also an author.
Early life and wrestling
Fried was born on August 11, 1971, in Poughkeepsie, New York to Kenneth (1942–2003) and Elaine Fried (1945–2004, née Agin). The couple also had another son, Adam.Fried began wrestling in the 5th grade at the Longwood YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
in Macedonia, Ohio
Macedonia, Ohio
Macedonia is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,188 at the 2010 census. Macedonia is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, where a trio of coaches had a major impact on him: head coach Dave Mariola and assistants Bernie Weiskopf and Tim Rutherford. A year later, he traveled to neighboring Pennsylvania to win the Pennsylvania Junior state championship; he repeated as champion the following two years prior to entering high school.
Despite being Jewish and living on Cleveland's east side, Fried attended St. Edward High School
St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio)
St. Edward High School is private, all-male Catholic, college-preparatory high school located in Lakewood, Ohio, a western Cleveland suburb. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. It is one of three remaining...
, an all-boys catholic high school on the city's west side. The school was a wrestling powerhouse before Fried arrived, having won 8 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA)
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
"big school" state titles under legendary coach Howard E. Ferguson as well as several national titles. Fried helped add two more state titles to St. Edward's streak of 10 consecutive state championships (1978–1987). The streak was broken in 1988, Fried's junior year.
Fried flourished under the disciplined Ferguson. He had an tremendous high school wrestling career, amassing 139-3 record. He was a three-time Ohio State Champion (1987, 1988, 1989), and finished third (1986). He graduated from St. Edward in 1989.
He would also compete in the USA Junior Freestyle Championships, where he would become the first wrestler to win four Junior National Freestyle titles.
Collegiate and international wrestling career
Fried attended Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma State University–Stillwater
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater is a land-grant, sun-grant, coeducational public research university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act...
. The Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling
The Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team is a NCAA Division I wrestling program and is one of five Big 12 Conference schools which participate in wrestling. Since the team's first season in 1914-15, it has won thirty-four team national championships , 133 individual NCAA championships, and 213...
had a wrestling program steeped in tradition. He became a three-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n, reaching the NCAA finals in 1991 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), 1992 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), and 1994 (National Champion, 142 lbs.). His high placements helped the Cowboys become team NCAA National Champions in 1990 and 1994.
His career record at Oklahoma State was 129-6, which ranks as the second most wins all-time for the Cowboys. Five of his six collegiate losses came at the hands of 1996 Olympic gold medalist
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and three-time NCAA champion Tom Brands
Tom Brands
Tom Brands is the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. He won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics....
from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. He also ranks third in career winning percentage (.956), fourth in most consecutive matches without a defeat (65), and seventh in career falls (44). He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
In international competition, Alan represented the USA on two age level World teams and in numerous Olympic age level international competitions. In the 20 years old and under World Championships in 1991, held in Previdza, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Alan won the Gold Medal, beating the wrestler from the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the finals and was awarded the "Best Technical Wrestler" for the championships. In the 18 years old and under category, Fried placed 4th at World Championships in 1988, held in Wolfurt
Wolfurt
Wolfurt is a municipality in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg.-External links:*...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
He finished 6th in the 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and 2000 Olympic Trials
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, both at 152 lbs., and missed the U.S. Olympic Team
United States at the Olympics
The United States of America has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Olympic Games, except the 1980 Summer Olympics, which it boycotted.The United States Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee for the United States....
. Injuries to his back and shoulder as well as a broken elbow had taken a toll and required two back surgeries in 1996 and two shoulder surgeries. These issues factored into his retirement from wrestling in 2000.
After wrestling
Fried later earned a Juris DoctorJuris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
ate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
The Cleveland–Marshall College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to the founding of Cleveland Law School in 1897 which, in 1946, merged with the John Marshall School of Law, founded in 1916, to become Cleveland–Marshall...
in 2002 and passed the Illinois State Bar Examination in 2003. After the passing of both his parents from inoperable and aggressive glioblastoma brain cancer, Fried moved back to Cleveland. He briefly took a position as law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
at Reminger & Reminger, Co. L.P.A., where his brother Adam is a partner and practices probate law. Alan passed the Ohio Bar Examination in 2005 and practiced law in Cleveland until mid-2007, when he relocated back in Chicago, Illinois to become a Futures Trader
Futures contract
In finance, a futures contract is a standardized contract between two parties to exchange a specified asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed today with delivery occurring at a specified future date, the delivery date. The contracts are traded on a futures exchange...
.
In 2005, he wrote a book with contributor Nicholas Rizzo M.D., The Arsenal: The Wrestler's Training Log ISBN 0-9748220-2-7.