Ben Askren is considered to be one of the most technically innovative wrestlers in the history of the sport. He has recently been named a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Askren’s relationship with wrestling began early, rooted in the Arrowhead Youth Program in Wisconsin, where he first took to the mat. By his own account, he was not an immediate standout.
“Where I started having more success in wrestling was in fifth grade,” Askren recalled. “I decided I wanted to quit baseball because I liked wrestling and I really love the individual aspect that wrestling provides. I love that the responsibility of the win or loss is pretty much exclusively on you.”
Those who watched him develop described a young athlete defined more by grit than raw athleticism.
“He’d latch onto a leg and he wouldn’t let it go,” his brother Max remembered. “He’d be on his belly getting his shoulders torn off and he would just be hanging on.”
That relentless quality eventually gave way to something more refined. In ninth grade, Askren quit football to go all in on wrestling, a decision that would prove transformative.
He went on to compete at the University of Missouri, where he won two NCAA national championships and was a four-time academic All-American. He later earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
His coach at Missouri described his contributions to the program as going far beyond titles. “He was the most unselfish wrestler I’ve ever coached,” coach Brian Smith said.
Askren is perhaps best known for developing a comprehensive scrambling system that changed how coaches and athletes approach positional wrestling.
“I believe I was the first one with some type of complete system of scrambling,” Askren said. “Certain guys would have one and certain guys would have four.”
“He had it to six and seven levels,” added coach Smith who worked alongside him.
After his competitive career, Askren built the AWA wrestling academy network, channeling the same focus he brought to competition into coaching and developing the next generation of wrestlers.
“I feel like Ben is on a constant quest to make the great sport of wrestling and what we get from it like the best experience possible for anybody that tries it,” said former coach John Mesenbrink.
Those who spoke in the Hall of Fame tribute video were unified in their assessment that the honor fits.
“For me, there’s nobody more deserving when you look at what he accomplished, from making an Olympic team to two Hodge trophies,” said coach Smith.
The recognition arrives during a complicated chapter in Askren’s life. After surviving a life-threatening medical crisis that resulted in a double lung transplant and multiple cardiac arrests, he has continued to stay connected to the sport. Ben Askren made a social media post regarding how his life has changed now.
“What a difference a year makes!! Last year on June 6th I was being airflighted home to Milwaukee for a life saving procedure. This year I was enjoying being inducted into the national wrestling hall of fame. It’s been a long journey, so grateful for all of the support over the past year from everyone.”
Additionally, Askren’s name has also surfaced in connection with a planned return to competition, with reports stating that he is set to wrestle UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad at an RAF event scheduled for July 18 in Milwaukee. The announcement has drawn significant attention not only because of the matchup itself, but also due to Askren’s recent double lung transplant.
