When it comes to wrestling legends, Jordan Burroughs is a name that cannot be eliminated from the list. After all, he has six World Championship titles and an Olympic gold on his list of laurels. But before the medals came alone, Burroughs was a simple New Jersey who liked wrestling. He first stepped onto the mat as a young boy in Sicklerville. By the time Jordan turned 6, he was taking on the 45-pound division in New Jersey. This was followed by a high school high!

During his time in high school, Burroughs created history. He went on to win three district championships, two regional titles, and a New Jersey state title at 135 pounds in 2006. Now, nearly over two decades later, Burroughs has reached heights that some wrestlers can only dream of. But despite having the monumental highs, Burroughs did not have many options when it came to college! In fact, he received just one offer. And that too from a college; as Burroughs himself puts it, he “never even bothered to locate on a map.”

Learn about Jordan Burroughs’ collegiate wrestling career.

The offer for Jordan Burroughs came from the University of Nebraska! Although Indiana had also shown some interest, Burroughs was not ready to do the recruiting trips. Instead, he accepted the only offer he got. Bidding adieu to his 115-20 high school record, Burroughs stepped onto the mats of Nebraska. Little did he know then that this was where his journey would truly begin!

Burroughs has perhaps the best learning curve of them all under Nebraska’s head coach, Mark Manning. Manning took an underdog under his wing.And then transformed him into a champion who will not be forgotten.First came the junior year for Jordan Burroughs. He moved soon into the 157-pound division and was at the Las Vegas Invite. At the invite, Jordan went on to take down names like Harvard’s J.P. O’Connor and Cornell’s Jordan Leen. Seasoned and steady, Jordan kept his performance up. He later ended that year with his first-ever NCAA championship title. Talk about living the dream! Now, this was just the beginning of a greater story that was to be written.

The new NCAA champion, if anything, was hungry for more. Burroughs then moved to his first senior season. The pressure was on, as Jordan had to defend his title. With all the weight of Nebraska and the world on him, he opened his season with a pin at Nebraska’s intrasquad meet. He then went on to earn the fastest fall by a Nebraska wrestler in the Big 12 era with a 25-second pin against Wisconsin’s Greg Burke. While the season was all flowers and roses, it soon took an unfortunate turn.

Jordan Burroughs faced a personal loss when his grandfather passed away. While this was heartbreaking in itself, what followed added on. Soon after, Burroughs had a match against Central Michigan. During the match, Burroughs had a very bad LCL and PCL tear. Thus, ended his season. But, as history would have it, Burroughs wasn’t going down that easily.

Why Jordan Burroughs is considered one of the best college wrestlers of all time

After months of recovery and support, Jordan Burroughs finally returned to the mat during his second senior year. He did not just return; he moved weight classes, too. Burroughs decided to move up to 165 pounds. He began his comeback with unstoppable momentum, collecting wins through technical falls, pins, and major decisions. The most iconic moment of his collegiate wrestling era also came during this time.

And it came during the Midlands tournament. Here, Burroughs was supposed to go against defending NCAA champion Andrew Howe. The match ended with Jordan breaking Howe’s 48-match winning streak! All through the season, Burroughs continued to stack medals in almost every match he fought. He even reached his 100th win! And then came the NCAA tournament! The world was looking at a man who had already proven that he could not be defeated. And guess what?

Jordan Burroughs once again proved the same. When the NCAA finals knocked on Jordan’s door, he walked onto the mat to face Oklahoma’s Tyler Caldwell. As expected, Tyler lost, and Burroughs went on to become Nebraska’s first two-time NCAA champion. He even went on to earn the prestigious Hodge Trophy as the best college wrestler in the country. He ended his collegiate journey with a 128-20-0 record. In 2021, the University of Nebraska even inducted him into their Hall of Fame. For Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska wasn’t just a college. It was the launch pad for a career that would go down in wrestling history.