Dowagiac’s own “gentle giant” Chris Taylor was posthumously accepted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday.

Taylor, a graduate of Dowagiac Union High School, won the 1967 state heavyweight title and went on to wrestle at Muskegon Community College, where Iowa State University head coach Harold Nichols took an interest in the 6-foot, 5-inch wrestler.

Between Taylor’s junior and senior years at Iowa State, he traveled to Munich to compete in the 1972 Olympics, taking on challenges in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling styles. Freestyle wrestling earned him a bronze medal.

Lynne Lawrence, Taylor’s widow, along with his daughter, Jenny, and her boyfriend, Gary, Lynne’s husband, Tom, their daughter, Sara, and Taylor’s former high school wrestling coach, John Lewis, attended the Honors Weekend in Oklahoma.

“This was a great honor for Chris and this town,” Lawrence said. “I couldn’t be prouder of all of us who were there to accept on Chris’ behalf and represent Dowagiac.”

For more on Taylor and the Hall of Fame induction weekend, check out tomorrow’s Daily News, which will include photos from the event and more on Taylor’s story.