Before Jordan Burroughs won his first World Championship in 2011, the USA Wrestling product was on life support. His gold medal in 2011 and subsequent Olympic gold medal in 2012 was the spark of an American wrestling revolution.
In the decade before Burroughs first took the mat in freestyle for Team USA, Americans won just three gold medals at Olympics or Worlds. Since 2011, Team USA has collected 27 World and Olympic gold medals.
Over the past 13 years, countless kids have idolized Burroughs. He’s their favorite wrestler — many of today’s college and senior-level stars grew up watching Burroughs draped in the American flag.