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.