Douglas Morlan Blubaugh (December 31, 1934 – May 16, 2011) , was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 wrestler

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

 and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1960 Olympic Games

1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, where he received a gold medal in freestyle welterweight, defeating the five-time world champion Emam-Ali Habibi.

Blubaugh, born in Ponca City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, was a two-time AAU Champion at Oklahoma State University before he made the 1960 Olympic team. While a student at OSU, Blubaugh was initiated as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon

Tau Kappa Epsilon

Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...

 Fraternity; in January 2011, he was inducted into the TKE Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

For his efforts in Rome, Blubaugh was named the World’s Outstanding Wrestler in 1960. Blubuagh later became wrestling coach at Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

, and his son followed him as a top high school wrestler.

He resided in Tonkawa, Oklahoma

Tonkawa, Oklahoma

Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 until his death in an accident while riding his motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

.

Blubaugh continued to be an ambassador for the sport of wrestling until his death on May 16, 2011 at the age of 76.