LINCOLN, Neb. — Confidence isn’t a trait Chad “C.J.” Red Jr. has ever lacked. In fact, the word itself defined his identity throughout his legendary high school career at New Palestine.
A four-time unbeaten state champion from 2013-16, Red’s swagger mirrored his greatness. A smile in the face of adversity revealed his calm. No challenge was insurmountable. No match unwinnable.
The ninth four-time champion in state history and third undefeated four-time state champion all-time, Red closed his chapter with the Dragons a flawless 183-0 before heading to Lincoln, Neb. four years ago.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
For the first time in his career, the losses mounted at the University of Nebraska with three endured during his learning-curve redshirt season and 11 more as an All-American freshman en route to a seventh-place run at the 2018 NCAA Championships at 141 pounds.
Those setbacks weren’t an issue. Annoying and motivating, no question, but they hardly derailed Red, who became known for his celebratory back flips, flashy warm-up pants and triumphant flair under the spotlight at the IHSAA state finals.
“Yeah, that first loss hurt. I shed a couple of tears, but at the same time, I talked to my pops (Chad Red Sr.) because he was still able to coach me my redshirt freshman year, and he kept telling me, there’s time, we have time to adjust to this,” Red said. “We always use the losses as motivation to want to come back and do more and not let that same stuff happen.”
Staying focused was Red’s drive, and entering his sophomore year he was admittedly back to being the wrestler her recognized after an initial adjustment to the Big Ten Conference.
Then, in a blink of an eye, he felt his distinctiveness slip away.
With his father and family in attendance during a preseason practice in October 2018, Red sparred with Cornhuskers teammate Tyler Berger, a three-time All-American, in a first-to-10 takedown challenge match.
Down 8-0 to Berger, Red regrouped against the eventual NCAA runner-up at 157 and scored a quick takedown. Berger charged back immediately and as he faked a shot, Red dropped, but the top of Berger’s head fell lower and “the crown of his head smashed into my face,” Red recalled.
The accidental blow put Red on his back and sent his front tooth bouncing to the mat.
“I remember my tooth coming out. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” Red said. “As soon as I got up, I screamed a little bit, went to the restroom, and they ended up bringing my tooth to me. They asked me what I wanted to do with it? I told them, ‘What do you mean? I want to keep it, save it.’”
With the advisement of teammate Colton McCrystal’s girlfriend, now fiance, who was a dental student, Red had the tooth shoved back into his mouth to save it before he had it permanently put back into place later.
“I had a tooth hanging down my mouth for a solid week, but we got it all squared away, but after that it took me a little bit. My dad, everybody saw there was something off with me,” Red said. “They could tell I wasn’t really into it as much as I used to be. I just wasn’t having fun with it because I didn’t want to do it.”
For the first time in his life, wrestling didn’t bring Red the same joy he remembered since he took his first steps as a kid. Fondly recalling the times he spent with his father as a 6-year-old studying college wrestling film before going to watch him coach high school meets, something was eating away at Red from within.
“Right after getting my tooth knocked out, I was wrestling so defensive. I was scared to shoot on people. If anybody shot on me, if their head was lower than mine, I was wrestling different. I was turning away from their shot instead of wrestling through the position,” Red said. “I was so worried about my mouth. I wanted no part of that. I lost my confidence.”
Unable to process the trauma, Red recoiled, a stark contrast from his attitude prior to the incident when he told Nebraska head coach Mark Manning, “This was my year. They better watch out.”
“I wasn’t really trying to give it up, but I wasn’t trying to wrestle at all last year. Last year, I was trying to sit the bench,” Red said.
Red was trapped in his head, in limbo, longing to realign within himself, which didn’t become apparent until he spoke with a sports psychologist.
“It’s hard to stay positive all the time. You have to remind yourself,” Red said. “I had a sports psychiatrist, and they kept telling me, every time you have a negative thought, you have to remind yourself all you have done. That’s the best piece of information, staying positive. I take that with me, I always use that before duals, matches, everything.”
Accomplishments are synonymous with Red, who was 19-3 during his redshirt season, 26-11 as a freshman and placed seventh at 141 during the Big Ten Championships in 2018.
As a sophomore in 2018-19, he went 22-14 with six pins and three tech falls, but it wasn’t until Nebraska’s regular-season finale on Feb. 23 when he felt whole again.
“Once we wrestled Stanford, I felt like I did at the beginning of the season,” Red said. “I felt like, ‘OK, I’m back.’ I went out there and pinned the guy in the first period. That was a good point for me to get the ball rolling, heading into the Big Tens.”
The pin in 1 minute, 30 seconds led to a runner-up run at the Big Ten Championships and a second All-American finish at the NCAA Championships where he placed eighth at 4-3 during the tournament.
“That’s where he really turned the corner at the Big Tens last year,” Manning said. “It’s another level and he understands that he will have some failure, but that drove him to where he is by becoming a two-time All-American.
“Now, he wants more. He doesn’t want to be All-American. He wants to be a national champion. He wants to be a Big Ten champion. That’s the goal he’s chasing.”
As a junior, Red nearly attained the first, placing third at the Big Ten Championships after losing to a familiar foe in Penn State’s top-seeded Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei), who is ranked second in the nation by Intermat at 141.
Red (15-6), who is ranked sixth in the nation, narrowly lost the semifinal showdown by decision 7-5. He knocked off Iowa’s Max Murin, who is ranked seventh in the nation, in sudden victory, 3-1, during the consolation semifinals, and Wisconsin’s Tristan Moran, No. 9 in the the country, 12-3 in the third-place match.
“I felt like in my semifinals match, I didn’t really start turning it on until about halfway through the second period, and by that time it wasn’t too late, but it was at the same time,” Red said. “You can’t start off a match not believing in yourself, not having positive thoughts because all those negative thoughts they will hold you back in the match.”
Lee and Red clashed in 2016 under the lights for the 132-pound state title at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Red beat Lee by decision 6-5 to win his fourth straight IHSAA title.
Red hoped to see his friendly rival again on March 19 during the NCAA Championships in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., but the COVID-19 pandemic led to the event’s cancellation.
“The way I’ve been looking at it is you can’t take any opportunity for granted. This very well could have been my last year,” Red said. “When I came here, they wanted me to start right off the rip, but I told them I didn’t want to. Looking back at it now, I made a pretty good decision, but I was on the verge of pulling my redshirt at the time.”
With one more season left, Red has plenty on his can-do list, and it starts with continuing what’s he’s already done, including working with former three-time All-American Cornhusker and 2012 Summer Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs.
“This is my first year being able to drill with him and spar around with him. That feeling is awesome,” Red said. “I’m sparring with an Olympic champ. That was a key motivator and why I believed I was going to make a lot of noise at this national tournament. We got another year, so we’ll be alright. I’m going to start off where I left off.”
That includes talking wrestling with his dad daily, who he hopes to emulate after his career is over as a wrestling coach.
First though, Red has Olympic aspirations, and with the 2020 games delayed a year due to the Coronavirus, an NCAA title in 2021 would secure him an automatic invite to the trials.
“I’m blessed enough to have another year. I have to take care of business. I haven’t won a national title yet. I haven’t won a Big Ten title yet,” Red said. “I haven’t won a team title yet, and those are all things I want to get accomplished before I graduate.
“I felt I was on a perfect little path to peaking at the right time. I felt like I wrestled tough at Big Tens, but I didn’t wrestle my best. I was ready to let loose at nationals.”
Manning believes Red is more than capable of greatness. It’s who he is.
“He’s really matured through his career, and that’s what we want all our guys to do. That’s how they develop as young men, and they develop as competitors,” Manning said. “He’s got another level in him, and we’re really hoping he keeps fighting. The biggest thing is it’s not about what I think, it’s about what he thinks, and he’s seeing that and really pushing himself.”
