Eddie Urbano was one of the first luminaries from Tucson to make his way to Tempe and help to begin the rise to national prominence of the Arizona State University Program.

Prior to beginning his collegiate career, however, Urbano was already a champion four times over. He won state titles for the Blue Devils in 1979 (the first year Sunnyside won a state title) and 1980, and then moved on to win national junior college crowns for Pima College in 1981 and 1982.

He then went on to claim a national title for the Sun Devils at 150 lbs. (the first individual since Curly Culp in 1967) by defeating Jim Heffernan of Iowa at Nationals. Additionally, he claimed multiple Pac-10 crownsas well as conference wrestler of the year accolades (1984 and 1985).

As of 2011, Urbano still ranked second in program history for victories in a single season (43 in 1984-1985) and 16th overall in total victories (105). At the national level, he was also a runner-up for the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Trials at 68 kg.

Urbano’s path after college lead, not surprisingly, to coaching, where he worked at various schools in the Phoenix area; including Mountain Pointe High School and Florence High School.

In 1997 he was honored as one of the 50 greatest athletes in Arizona history by a local sports magazine. He was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame in 1999.

When the news about his death broke, many in the wrestling community were shocked and saddened. Urbano had done so much to promote the sport during his life, and had lived by the “never say die” code of the sport, that his decision was perceived as a great tragedy.

Still, he left a lasting legacy.

As Bobby Douglas noted, “He did a lot of good and he’s a great example to a lot of minority and poor kids that came from tough background.”

A more fitting tribute to this champion is probably not possible.