Kenny Monday

{{short description|American wrestler (born 1961)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Kenny Monday

| image = Kenny Monday (53221829688) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Monday in 2023

| nationality =

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|November 25, 1961}}

| birth_place = Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.

| height = 5 ft 10 in

| weight = 74 kg

| country = United States

| sport = Wrestling

| event = Freestyle and Folkstyle

| collegeteam = Oklahoma State

| club = Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club

| team = USA

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's freestyle wrestling }}

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

{{MedalGold| 1988 Seoul | 74 kg}}

{{MedalSilver| 1992 Barcelona | 74 kg}}

{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}

{{MedalGold | 1989 Martigny | 74 kg }}

{{MedalSilver | 1991 Varna | 74 kg }}

{{MedalCompetition | Pan American Games }}

{{MedalGold| 1991 Havana | 74 kg}}

{{MedalSport | Collegiate Wrestling}}

{{MedalCountry|the Oklahoma State Cowboys}}

{{MedalCompetition|NCAA Division I Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1984 East Rutherford|150 lb}}

{{MedalSilver|1983 Oklahoma City|150 lb}}

{{MedalSilver|1982 Ames|150 lb}}

{{MedalCompetition|Big 8 Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1982 Lincoln|150 lb}}

{{MedalGold|1983 Ames|150 lb}}

{{MedalSilver|1984 Stillwater|150 lb}}

{{MedalBronze|1981 Stillwater|142 lb}}

| Sports =

}}

Kenny Dale Monday (born November 25, 1961) is an Olympic gold medalist and three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University. He began wrestling at age six at a YMCA after-school program and grew up idolizing Olympic wrestler Wayne Wells. Monday is a three-time Olympian.

Monday attended Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he won four state titles and the 1977 Junior National championship. He never lost a match from seventh grade through the end of high school and finished with a record of 140–0–1.

As an All-American at OSU, Monday won the NCAA title in 1984 at 150 pounds. His collegiate record of 121–12–2 contributed to the Cowboys winning two Big Eight titles. He won the 1989 World Championship and a series of USA Freestyle championships in 1985, 1988, 1991, and 1996. He won the Olympic Championship in 1988 in a 5–2 overtime win against the Soviet Union's Adlan Varaev. Monday was voted the outstanding wrestler of the Grand Masters of Olympic Wrestling in 1990, after beating Rahmat Sofiadi of Bulgaria.{{Cite web |last=Bentley |first=Mac |date=1990-12-30 |title=State's Best 5A Teams In Geary Tournament |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1990/12/30/states-best-5a-teams-in-geary-tournament/62541418007/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=The Oklahoman |language=en-US}}

Monday was a silver medalist in the 1992 Olympics and placed sixth in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. In 2001, Monday was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/377 Kenny Monday]. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.

On March 28, 1997, Monday competed in a mixed martial arts bout defeating John Lewis by TKO in round two at Extreme Fighting 4, which was held in Des Moines, Iowa.

Monday has also worked as the wrestling coach with the Blackzilians, a mixed martial arts camp based in Boca Raton, Florida.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/4/5/4186222/olympic-wrestling-legend-kenny-monday-joins-blackzilian-camp-ufc-mma|title=Olympic wrestling legend, Kenny Monday joins the Blackzilian camp as wrestling coach|date=5 April 2013|publisher=Bloody Elbow|access-date=2019-12-16|archive-date=August 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831233232/http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/4/5/4186222/olympic-wrestling-legend-kenny-monday-joins-blackzilian-camp-ufc-mma|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/wrestling-coach-kenny-monday-let-go-by-backzilians-202945253.html|title=Wrestling coach Kenny Monday let go by 'Blackzilians' |date=21 May 2014 |publisher=Yahoo Sports|access-date= 2019-12-16}} He is married to Sabrina Goodwin Monday (National Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics) and has three children. Both his sons would become NCAA Division I wrestlers. His oldest son Kennedy wrestled for the University of North Carolina,{{cite web|url=https://goheels.com/sports/wrestling/roster/kennedy-monday/16242|title=Kennedy Monday |publisher=University of North Carolina Athletic Department|access-date= 2019-12-16}} and his younger son Quincy currently{{when|date=August 2023}} wrestles for Princeton University. Monday currently{{when|date=August 2023}} resides in North Carolina.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

On August 15, 2022, Monday was announced as the head wrestling coach of the resurrected Morgan State University program that last competed in 1997.{{cite web | url=https://morganstatebears.com/news/2022/8/15/general-olympic-gold-medalist-selected-to-lead-revived-wrestling-program-at-morgan-state-university.aspx | title=Olympic Gold Medalist Selected to Lead Revived Wrestling Program at Morgan State University | date=15 August 2022 }}