Although he never won a state tournament title in wrestling during his high school years or national title in wrestling during his collegiate career, Dantzler had been a regular member of the U.S. national wrestling team. In 1995, he moved from Illinois to Colorado Springs, Colorado to work and train as a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He first competed for the men's 74-kg category at the U.S. national championships in 1996, and finally received his first title ten years later. At the span of his wrestling career, he placed third six times, and runner-up three times, and also, defended titles in the same tournament in 2007 and in 2008. In addition to his numerous achievements in the national championships, Dantzler finished third at the 2000 U.S. Olympic trials, and was denied a chance to qualify for his weight class at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He also competed at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in Guangzhou, China, where he placed fifth in the same category.