Wrestling Alumnus Andrew F. Barth To Receive Outstanding American Award At 2012 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction
11/22/2011 3:05:00 PM | Wrestling
STILLWATER, Okla. - On Monday, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum announced that it will honor Columbia wrestling alumnus and prominent benefactor Andrew F. Barth at its 2012 induction ceremony as a recipient of the Outstanding American Award.
The 2012 National Wresting Hall of Fame & Museum induction ceremony will take place June 1-2, 2012, in Stillwater, Okla. Barth and former Penn State wrestler Chris Bevilacqua will receive the Outstanding American Award. The Distinguished Members selected for the induction Class of 2012 include Fred Fozzard (Argentina, Oklahoma State), Stephen Neal (Turkey, Cal State - Bakersfield), Greg Strobel (Oregon State, USA Wrestling) and Chris Taylor (Iowa State, USA Wrestling).
The Outstanding American Award is given to individuals who have used the disciplines of the sport to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science and technology, business and industry, government and the military and the arts and humanities.
Barth was a member of Columbia's varsity wrestling team from 1979-83 and was a team captain as a senior in 1982-83. The Lions won three consecutive Ivy League titles in his first three years on the team. Barth competed in the 177-pound class as a walk-on first-year in 1979-80 and bumped up to 190 pounds as a sophomore the following year. His best season was as a junior in 1981-82 when he played a key role in helping Columbia to its third straight conference title. That year, Barth compiled an 11-9 overall record and was named an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention. During his Columbia wrestling career, Barth totaled a 32-35-1 record and played an integral role in one of the most successful stretches in program history.
Barth graduated summa cum laude with a degree in economics from Columbia College in 1983 and earned his masters in business administration from the Columbia Business School in 1985.
Barth also represented the New York Athletic Club in Greco-Roman and freestyle events from 1980-85 and won the 1985 Eastern AAU Greco-Roman title. After graduating from the Columbia Business School in 1985, Barth moved to Los Angeles to work for The Capital Group as a financial analyst. Today, he is Chairman of the Capital Guardian Trust Company.
Barth has been one of Columbia wrestling's strongest supporters. In 2004, he made a large contribution to endow Columbia's wrestling program and fund renovations to the Lions' wrestling room, which would be later named in his honor in 2008. In 2005, Columbia announced the endowment of its head wrestling coach position with the title of Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling.
The 2012 hall of fame induction is open to the public. Anyone interested in attending next summer's ceremony should contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum to receive an invitation to be mailed by March 2012. For more information on Honors Weekend, contact Krista Graff at (405) 377-5243 or kgraff@nwhof.org.
