Bill Combs
American sport wrestler (1918-1945)
- Born
- 22 August 1918
- Died
- 19 February 1945
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- amateur wrestling
- Occupation
- amateur wrestler
Billy Burk Combs (August 22, 1918 – February 19, 1945) was an All-American collegiate wrestler at the University of Michigan (1939–41) who was killed in the invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Combs enrolled at the University of Michigan and competed for the Michigan wrestling teams coached by Oklahoma native Cliff Keen. He was elected captain of Michigan's 1941 wrestling team and president of the university's "M" Club of varsity lettermen. He placed second in the 145-pound class at the national AAU championship in March 1940, losing the championship match in overtime. In December 1940, he won the 155-pound championship at the Midwest AAU tournament at Chicago. He was also the 1941 Western Conference wrestling champion at 175 pounds.
Awards and honours
- Purple Heart
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q4908530 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.