Christopher Campbell

September 09, 1954 - Present

Chris Campbell’s contributions to the sport of wrestling are a testimony to the power of determination in the acquisition of goals and dreams.

Convinced to wrestle by his Westfield, N.J. junior high school coach, Campbell quickly separated himself from the others. Just four years after beginning to wrestle, he won the state championship title and set the scene for what was to come.

Still relatively unknown in the wrestling world, he “walked on” to wrestle at the University of Iowa. Under the instruction of legendary coaches Gary Kurdelmeier, Dan Gable and J Robinson, he became a two time NCAA Division I Champion and a three time Big 10 Conference Champion.

After graduating, Campbell continued to pursue his dreams. He captured three US National Championships, one AAU National Title, and four World Cup Championships. In 1980, he won a berth on the United States Olympic Team. However, due to our nation’s boycott of the Games, Campbell never had a chance to compete. In 1981 he reached the top of the podium as a World Champion and was named “Outstanding Technical Wrestler”. Then, after years of not competing, Campbell once again set his sights on an Olympic medal. Executing an age defying comeback that has become a part of wrestling folklore, he earned a spot on the 1992 USA Olympic Team. At the age of 37, he became the oldest American in the history of wrestling to win an Olympic medal. Bringing home the bronze medal was a fitting finale to his storied competitive career.

In addition to his extraordinary accomplishments as a competitor, Campbell was a successful assistant coach at four different universities: the University of Iowa, Iowa State, Cornell and Syracuse. At each location, Campbell continued to pursue his academic goals. He received a law degree from Cornell University.

He has also contributed to the wrestling community as a board member of the USOC and USA Wrestling. He serves as an arbitrator on the international Court of Arbitration for sport and held the position of Chair of the United States Olympic Committee’s Athletes Advisory Council. Campbell was also the first African American to be the executive director of an Olympic sport – USA Boxing.

For his inspirational accomplishments in the sport of wrestling, Chris Campbell is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Awards:

Year
2005
Award
Distinguished Member
Chapter/Region
National
Year
2002
Award
Glen Brand Inductee
Chapter/Region
National

All American Awards:

Season
1977
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
177
Place
1
Season
1976
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
177
Place
1
Season
1975
School
Iowa
Tournament
Division I
Weight
177
Place
2

College Season Records:

Season
1977
School
Iowa
Class
Senior
Bouts
34
Wins
33
Losses
0
Ties
1
Falls
6
Win PCT.
97.06
Place
1st
Season
1976
School
Iowa
Class
Junior
Bouts
36
Wins
35
Losses
0
Ties
1
Falls
4
Win PCT.
97.22
Place
1st
Season
1975
School
Iowa
Class
Sophomore
Bouts
28
Wins
25
Losses
2
Ties
1
Falls
8
Win PCT.
89.29
Place
2nd
Season
1974
School
Iowa
Class
Freshman
Bouts
32
Wins
28
Losses
3
Ties
1
Falls
4
Win PCT.
87.5
Place
DNP
Season
Career
Bouts
130
Wins
121
Losses
5
Ties
4
Falls
22
Win PCT.
93.08

All Rankings:

Season
1977
Rank Date
02/19/1977
Weight
177
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1976
Rank Date
02/14/1976
Weight
177
Rank
1
School
Iowa
Season
1975
Rank Date
02/15/1975
Weight
177
Rank
1
School
Iowa

Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations