 here with the legend Kenny Monday and as a fan I want to dig a little bit deeper into your career I feel like me as a super fan I've known who you are I've known what you've done in the sport there's a lot of details kind of researching and and trying to figure out who you are as a human being and your career and your path to your career there was a lot of things I didn't know so I want to I want to get your story out there I want to kind of step through your timeline and and just talk about you know you growing up in the sport and reflecting on what you've done and in your accomplishments and just kind of let people know like the path you took and what you've done so the NCAA champ three-time Olympian Olympic champ you know you've done stuff on the extremely high level now you're here at the RTC at UNC but you start in Tulsa story starts in Tulsa talk a little bit about that growing up in Tulsa and how you get involved in the sport you know I mean it's a growing up in Oklahoma of course I mean Oklahoma was a big big wrestling state you know just a lot of great things coming out of Oklahoma and and I just had a just a great childhood and just a beginning of my wrestling career started at the YMCA had a great coach that Charlie Shivers was our was our head coach at the Y and I kind of followed in behind my older brothers Mike and Jim and Mike is about well Mike is six years older than I am and Jim is four so Mike started in at the YMCA and after school program after our elementary school was like a block from the YMCA so we would go to the YMCA after school and then our parents would get off work at five and come pick us up and we had a guy Charlie Shivers that started the program at the Y and Charlie had rousaled at University of Oklahoma so he was OU grad and so he knew about the sport so we had a great coach from the start so fundamentals were on point and at that time in Oklahoma man it was just such a rich culture of wrestling I mean we had elementary school then it was like first through sixth grade was elementary and then 9th through 7th through 9th was junior high school and we had a full we had a full team at the YMCA and we would wrestle all over Oklahoma all over Tulsa and it was probably maybe it was about 30 clubs 30 teams at Russell and we had a league of wrestling and we would do dual meets and you know I'd never really had to leave the state of Oklahoma to get competition at that point that's how rich it was I mean I remember guys that I rousaled you know they were like prodigies as kids you know and so it was just a really rich culture and so wrestling was very very strong you know Oklahoma University Oklahoma had great teams of course Oklahoma State University had a great team great coaches and coming out of that Myron Roderick era of the 70s and so we all we are also able to go down to Oklahoma State and watch you know great teams of Oklahoma State great teams of University of Oklahoma compete and so you grow up watching it I grew up watching tradition I tell people this I was exposed to greatness early you know because I was born at 61 by the time I started wrestling by the time I was 10 it was 72 that was a 72 Olympic team right and so I got to watch all those guys from that 72 team compete down in Stillwater Oklahoma to the U.S. Open you know the likes of Dan Gable and Rick Sanders and Jimmy Carr Chris Taylor the Peterson brother so these are all guys at Wayne Wells of course he's an Oklahoma guy but I was exposed to greatness early man it was just so rich for me to see that that it really set said my dreams in motion as far as being an Olympic athlete you know because I because that was that 72 team and that was my dream from the time I saw those guys compete but you didn't lose a match from like seventh grade through high school is that correct I did not you know it's funny because I mean I took to the sport early and you know I had a lot of success early I mean from from the time I started I was I was I was after you know I was after and I think of course there's some things that happen along the way that kind of boosted my my career and boosted my my mindset in the sport of wrestling but we just had a we just had a rich rich culture in Oklahoma and of course my brothers were very instrumental and my parents were very instrumental and my parents were the kind of parents that took us everywhere that we needed to go to get that experience and get the coaching and get the competition and we didn't we didn't we didn't have to leave Oklahoma I mean it's so so competitive was there ever a doubt you were gonna wrestle for anywhere other than Oklahoma story yeah absolutely I mean you know growing up in Oklahoma I was of course I was a big OU fan growing up right now and it's kind of went back and forth we ever had kind of the best team I would ever kind of lean that way right now but we know we had we had some great OU has some great teams and I mean they were national champions in 1974 I had come guys that came out of Tulsa that they'd wrestle at Oklahoma I mean some of my my favorite wrestlers the Breeze Brothers Gary Breeze and Steve Breeze were from Tulsa they wrestled the OU and so I was big fans big Breeze fans and David McQuig was another one that came out of Oklahoma I was a big fan and so we had we had child prodigies man that went to University of Oklahoma so I was OU fan for a long time and actually my brothers were at OU when I made my decision to go to Oklahoma State both my brothers were at OU and so now it was it was a tough it was a big recruiting battle and now I will say this I wasn't I wasn't gonna leave Oklahoma I didn't want to wrestle for any other state coming out at that point because we were so again the culture was so strong and we had so much success coming out of Oklahoma that when I got old enough to get to go on like all-star teams representing the state and that kind of really solidified my roots in Oklahoma. Well talk about your adjustment when you got there you don't lose a match from seventh grade through high school you're walking into college thinking I'm gonna be a four-time undefeated NCAA champ and that doesn't pan out so I mean talk about that adjustment and the reality of hey this isn't this isn't this isn't gonna happen. It was tough man it was tough and I was again I was that was very successful as a kid I think I went undefeated like the fourth and the fifth grade and then I lost one time to Jim Hicks and the Tulsa Nationals in the sixth grade and I didn't wrestle him again from that from the sixth grade I didn't wrestle him again and he's an Oklahoma kid from Oklahoma City. Is it Del City? I think so. And then I didn't wrestle him again to Mike going for my fourth state title. I was undefeated of course and I didn't wrestle him again until the finals of my state title, going for my fourth state title. How was your thought process going over there? I've been looking for him all that the whole time from the sixth grade I was trying to get that match back. And you got it back? What a great way to do it. I think I beat him like 22 to 3 or something like that. So 84 you win a national title and I'm looking, Mark Perry's senior is on that team right? He ended up getting six at 118 which blew my mind when I saw that but you guys got second as a team you didn't win the title. Yep he did you know of course going into going into Oklahoma State you know of course I had one tie in my high school career and I know you know the story Mike Sheese was the guy that tied me and so we we so Tommy Chesmo said if you tied Monday then you're you're coming to Oklahoma State as well so he recruited Mike and we both were teammates and we got to to wrestle almost every day from that point on but we had a great class coming in Mark Perry was on that team. Character. Came in as a freshman. I remember Mark coming in I think the All-Star team together and so we got to hang out on the All-Star team he came to Tulsa State of my house I took him to my high school took him to a high school dance at Boogarty Washington. So we go way back we go way back and I go way back and with John too I remember the first time I met John Smith was I think I was probably 13 12 13 years old John was little he's probably three or four years old so he was like ten nine or ten you know just a little kid running around in Del City Oklahoma and so I've been around those guys for a long time. Set the stage for 88 Olympics defend and champ for IEV. You wrestle them into finals and ends up going to overtime but you're firing off attack after attack after attack and you're getting in deep on some of them and you can tell the guys looking to counter the whole match. You get the reversal it kind of late in the match to tie it up then it goes into overtime what walk through that match and it kind of what what maybe your preparations were going into it and no one that this guy was probably going to be the guy you hit and then you know how it played out. Yeah Adam Varayaf was of course he was he was an 87 world champion right he'd be Dave in the finals three two one and he had wrestled him three times before that I had a wrestling three times and so I kind of knew we kind of knew each other and but he beat me twice and I beat him once they're all close matches all close matches and so I knew I could I knew I could beat him I know I was good enough to beat him but I had to have a have a great match and I had to keep attacking him and the job was confident going into my training was great I was wrestling at a very high level I'd be Dave you know two or three times leading up to that and so I knew I was good enough but watching him in the 87 world championships I mean he was going through him he went through that tournament and so I knew I had to be at my best and I knew I had to keep attacking him you know but he's strong man the guys are strong and fast and you know there are a couple times in that match where you got in deep and you you you're finishing on anybody else on the planet and and just he ends up getting you getting off his legs he was strong man he was strong it do was strong we catch you just catching my shots and you know he he again he kind of knew me just because we had ross before a couple times the things that I did I did to him other matches he was ready for him and he was just strong he just a strong guy very good good good balance good stance fast and so it just really kind of just came down to who had the who who who who ross was the best and it just kind of came down to that position that we did I ended up winning the match in an overtime I actually got from him the irony there I know right so so you watching him Russell Dave and steady in those those positions right he did that same technique not the body lock but he got in that position I guess Dave the kind of neutralized days front headlock and so I was playing around with that practice a lot a lot a lot and so I kind of developed my own technique from there so you win the Olympics first black man on the planet right to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling your dad Fred was there correct and and I'm watching the match and he's as cool as a fan the whole time like I'm watching the match a couple weeks ago and I'm getting antsy and I know you won and your old man's just sitting there just cool how special was that that a make history for for your culture but be have your dad there right there watching it was great man man dad and you say he was he was cool and that's just kind of how he is he's cool on the outside but he's burning up on the inside so nervous he is so nervous on the inside but you know he lived a life with me you know when from the time I started he was right there and you know a couple years he was coaching and so he was always very supportive and always he never rusted himself but once we got to wrestling he kind of learned as we went right so he knew he knew me knew this new the sport and now it was it was special to have him over there you know I didn't get my mom didn't get to go but he was over there and he hung out with John Smith's dad Leroy the whole time so really he was really special for two of our kids to be the only gold medals to come out of that so they they had a great time so Bobby Douglas and and Schultz are in your corner so Bobby so Bobby is the one that actually really kind of brought being the first Olympic champion first black Olympic champion to my attention you know not I've studied wrestling I kind of knew because you know Lee Kipp was it was a was a hero of mine Chris Chris Campbell and Gatsen Douglas Douglas and I've watched these guys for years and just kind of identifying with those guys sure you know because they're the African-Americans and so I always followed them and I knew probably Lee Kipp was probably the he would probably been the one to be an Olympic champion three-time world champ three-time world champ made the team in 80 they boycott it he didn't get to go but he was you know 81 world champ you know 79 world champ so he would have won and he didn't get that opportunity and so so was Bobby brought that up it kind of made it you know brought it to my attention I mean it really kind of elevated my my motivation it really did I mean really it kind of gave me a different a different focus because now was it's not even about me winning it was really about setting that standard and being the first and anytime you had an opportunity to be the first in anything I don't care if it's shooting marbles you know it's up sure it's a great thing right so that that gave me some gave me a deep down motivation a deep down inspiration that I know that would last a lifetime so you can add any more pressure though didn't add any more pressure like thanks Bobby right thanks for giving me that I mean Bobby Douglas has been so instrumental so many guys lives and we talk about the what ifs with with with Schultz and what he would have gone on to do but what he what he did while he was there I mean he elevated your level as an athlete to a point to maybe you never win an Olympic title without having that rivalry with him but you have a rival we would this guy and he's in your corner and it was just if he couldn't be there he would rather you be there talk about not only the rivalry with with Dave but like what that guy meant to you in your career you know Dave was special you know it was he was just a special human being and things that he did like you know after I beat him and made the team and he was very very gracious and very willing to help and I'm not for sure I would have done that you know I mean that's just kind of guy he was but now Bobby was was really going way back my oldest brother Mike was Bobby's first recruit at Arizona State so that was his first guys you went to Arizona State first I was introduced to Bobby you know back in the 70s 72 to 3 and got to be around him a little bit and learn from him of course with his books and the whole thing and so I long history with Bobby Douglas and so it was just special to have him my my special Olympic coach when I made the team but Dave was just of course he made me great he made me he kept me up at night he got me up in the morning and I knew that if I could if I could be Dave then I could beat anybody in the world because he was such such competitive such as intelligent wrestling and he was he was tough he was he was he was mean and he was intelligent and so there's some levels that I had to get through to be able to overcome Dave that just in plus everybody loved Dave you know USA wrestling loved them and of course Mark and Dave was the darlings coming out of 84 defending Olympic champions and they were already promoting those guys to be on the 88 team and you know I kind of came in and kind of kind of stopped that promotion a little bit but now he took me to another level man he really did and then once I made the team he was he was in training camp and of course he was he was there to help Mark as well but he was like anything I can do to help you I'm here for you right so we wrestled a lot in training camp every day like you want to wrestle a couple times we would wrestle there get choked out in front of my head like so look looking back and you don't strike me as a very braggart type of guy you seem like a very humble kind of back in the cut type of guy looking back on and I'm gonna ask you to be for a second looking back on your career young man coming from Tulsa, Oklahoma grows up in Tulsa, Oklahoma goes undefeated from pretty much fifth grade through high school except for this one dad go character you went in CA title you went to Olympic title you don't only win an Olympic title but you set the bar for black men around the world when you when you when you hang your hat up at the end of your career I mean and not to wash over the fact you won a silver medal as well in the Olympics and then you go back 96 Olympics Satyiv kind of has his coming out party but you know just just sitting in a rocking chair on your front porch and reflecting on your career man what what does that what does that mean to you as a as a individual as a father as a husband and as an African American in the world today you know it's you know it was it's been an amazing journey you know it really has and one of the greatest things that that I have experienced out of being an Olympic champion and being at that level of success in the sport of wrestling is that it gave me a platform to really share the share of my story and to touch so many other kids and you'd be surprised at how many just families and fathers and sons and wrestlers that I've touched over the years and you come up to me now as grown men that I maybe inspired is when they were a little kid and I coached them or they're watching and they were wrestling because I my success you come up to me say man you were big inspiration to me and I'm wrestling because you you know when I saw you win you know inspired me and and so just having that platform to touch people all over the world and share my story and share my journey it's probably the biggest part of that you know and then also being able to bring my family into that right and have them share in that success and in the story of that and so it's been an amazing journey and it's I enjoyed every day every day I wake up an Olympic champion and they can never take that away you know but just have some great great great stories and some great experiences all have been all over the world wrestlers taking me all over the world and going back to that match that final match that Dave and Bobby was in a day came in it was in the final match and came up to me and so say Kenny do you do you mind if I if I see you corner and so I thought about it for a little bit you know and I thought about it for a little bit and I cannot I said let me think about it and so I came back probably you know 10 minutes that's all right man I'm good with that and the reason I did that is just because of his willingness to help me in training camp you know I mean he was there and he was selfless and anything whatever he could do I don't think it was like trying to self promote himself or anything like that even though he did have a fast cut the shirt off but no but Dave was just that kind of guy man he was he was really willing to do whatever he could to help you know so that's why I was kind of loud and sit in my corner and then after I won then he put me on his shoulders and ran me around the mat you know and but he was he was he was good to having a room and he was good to have been in training camp he came up to me and and which really kind of inspired me to like we're I think it was like the last day that we're having practice before the Olympic start he goes Kenny pulls me over to the side you got to kind of know Dave we kind of know his ways you know but he was like I'm so we're talking to the Russians and man they're like Monday or no problem no no problem like him you're not on the team they couldn't understand why Dave wasn't on a team like Monday beat me he's the best guy and and he's gonna he's gonna be very tough to beat he's like oh no no Monday no problem no problem so that really fired me up and they've made sure he told me that but that fired me up I was so freaking ready you go show the world that I was it doesn't so the Puma name is actually between you and another individual like I understood it as like it was all the Russians but but you explained to me that it was initially started explain that how the Puma name came it was in on a Tbilisi tour on a Tbilisi tour and which was the toughest tournament in the planet because back then it was USSR and they only sent the national team right and now it's split up into a gazillion different teams but back then all the Russians went to Tbilisi Soviet Union so it was it was tougher than the Olympics it was tougher than the World Championships some years in the Olympics so like just to just to set the tone for that yeah so so I went to Tbilisi twice I went 87 and Dave was on that tour as well Dave won the tournament 87 he went to listen 87 I think I got fit the next year Dave went but he didn't wrestle and so I that's the year I won but we would always do like two or three dual meets on that tour so we do three do three dual meets different team Russian teams different guys and then we'd go to the tournament so that was like 11 matches that I wrestled that year on that tour and one of the guys that were I think he was 68 kilo now I'll forget his name this Russian guy but he was really tough and so we kind of hit it off we exchanged some some some gifts and that kind of thing and so he kind of showed me around and so we kind of just hit it off and we just started started teasing each other and and he was like a real strong but he was like very controlled he's light up throws and on throws and he didn't move a lot right I'm like dude you're you're like you're also like you're like a war she's you're slow you're like a big bear you know you you just got to plot around he goes yeah you're like a little little Puma you're like a black Puma yeah you're so fast and moving you do that you move too much you know and and so so then every time you saw me he was a Puma black Puma he laughs at the black Puma and so it just freaking stuck man there's all those guys with all those Russian guys and then I won that tournament like so now now when I went to Blissy and I got that white cape and so he was in the back going Puma Puma Puma Puma so all these kids were at the tournament but I was like the pipe pipe was I was giving of course I was giving them gum I was feeding these guys gum so they cheer for me right at the tournament and they were all screaming pull my pull my and it just from that from that year it just kind of stuck and so when it came back you know that was kind of the story that they were saying my word where the Puma car heard them saying Puma where they come from right so that's kind of starting so fast forward now you got the role the roles changed so your coach your mentor your dad he got your wife Sabrina you got you got Quincy and Kennedy wrestling you're down here with Kennedy Quincy's up at Princeton talk a little bit about me and you actually had a little sidebar conversation a bit ago about about coaching kids and trying to separate dad and coach talk a little bit about what you've taken from your career and the coaches the amazing coaches you've had with you know with Douglas and you know Dave helping some and Bruce Burnett and some of those guys coming through like what are your takeaways and what are you applying now to make sure your sons have the same experience and enjoy the platform that you help build the foundation for absolutely that again I was so blessed to be able to be exposed to so so many great wrestlers you know from the Oklahoma State wrestlers back in the day in the 70s I could talk to about that and but being being around some of the best coaches being around being training counselor Dan Gable being around around Douglas and Chesbro just so many different guys that I was around that I learned so much from you know and I'm just like a I'm a sponge and I'm just I'm taking a little bit from these guys I take a little bit from Gable I take a little bit from Douglas Chesbro Myron Rodgers it was another great source that I got to know growing up he was athletic director when I was there at Oklahoma State being around there then being teammates with John Smith and Mike Sheets and so these guys really kind of shaped my whole philosophy about wrestling about you know just working your butt off putting yourself in the right environment I'm so big about putting yourself in the right environment where you know you got like-minded people people that you love training with right they got a energy and an excitement about about the competition and so just try to give them my experience and give them my just my my my my philosophy on wrestling and how to approach you know and they got to do their own journey and I wanted the biggest things that they struggle with I think they struggle thoroughly is just being the sons of Olympic gold medalist right but a lot of the pressure comes from and I and I explained it to a lot of pressure comes from other people because it didn't come from me because it's their own it's their own journey of course we're gonna work hard and I told them that I can show you all the technique in the world I can show you all the all that you know but it's you can't get around the work it's hard work it's dedication if you want to be good if want to be great you've got to dedicate yourself to the sport right but I never get caught up in and you know trying to trying to have them emulate my success right I want them to have their own journey which they are doing now they they got their own path that they're doing I'm really happy about that I just really wanted to expose them to the sport introduce them to the sport and they have them take off of how they how they want to take off now I mean they're at the point now to where I feel like their styles are good enough to they can win that's just about what they want out of the sport they can I feel I feel like they're they're good enough to do whatever they want to do in the sport right it's just how just as far as what they want out of the sport how hard they want how hard they want to work or what they want to sacrifice just you know what they want to do with it right so they're good enough to do whatever they want to do in sport