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Okla. Olympians: Terry McCann took home gold in Bantamweight in Rome

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From an oil refinery to Olympic gold, Oklahoma native Terry McCann eventually made a name for himself as an international advocate for the sport he loved.

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McCann was a wrestler at the University of Iowa when he moved to Tulsa and worked at an oil refinery in the late 1950s. Then in 1960, he started training for the Olympics in Rome.

McCann -said to be a very complete wrestler- fulfilled his dream of bringing home the gold medal as a Bantamweight.

He continued to be an ambassador for the sport of wrestling for the rest of his life helping found the sport's governing body - now known as USA wrestling.

McCann died of mesothelioma in 2006 at the age of 72.

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