AFamilyTRADITION

STORY BY AUSTIN CHAPPELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE WATERFIELD AND GARY LAWSON

Senior wrestler Chris Perry is named male studentathlete of the year

Chris Perry, who recently completed one of the more decorated four-year campaigns in the history of Oklahoma State’s prestigious wrestling program, isn’t referring to winning consecutive national championships.

He isn’t talking about his four Big 12 titles, three All-America seasons or his top-10 spot on the all-time wins list at OSU.

When Perry speaks of what is “demanded” of him, he is referencing the academic success that earned him this year’s Oklahoma State Athletics male student-athlete of the year honor.

“The most important things to me during my time at OSU were my schoolwork, the people around me and the fans,” Perry said. “It wasn’t all about making sure I won a certain amount of titles.

“I want people to look back on me and say that I was one of the greatest to wrestle here, both on the mat and o the mat.”

Each summer, the OSU athletic department announces its male and female student-athlete of the year awards, presented to individuals who display the same passion in the classroom as in his or her respective sport.

Some of OSU’s most-recognized figures have received the honor, but their successes on the field have garnered more headlines than those in the classroom.

Current Cowboy baseball head coach Josh Holliday, the male student-athlete of the year in 1999, won the award in the middle of a College World Series run. Former NBA standout Joey Graham received the honor only days before being selected by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Perry was still fresh off his second-consecutive NCAA individual championship when he was honored with the award in June.

He had also just qualified for the United States national team by placing at the World Team trials and ASICS University Nationals, giving him the opportunity to compete in the University World Championships in Pecs, Hungary, where he won a silver medal.

With a loaded past and a promising future, Perry easily could have let his wrestling endeavors overshadow an academic award. However, he said he was incredibly humbled when he first heard he had received the honor.

“IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN SUCCEED IN ACADEMICS AND STILL BECOME A NATIONAL CHAMPION,” PERRY SAID. “IT’S A GREAT AWARD TO ACCEPT, AND

IT’S HONESTLY UP THERE WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT I’VE ACHIEVED IN MY CAREER.”

A large number of college athletes value their education, but a mentality like Perry’s isn’t just developed through the traditional four-year athletic career. It’s established by a strong support system, a slew of role models and most importantly, enormously high expectations.

“The people in my life who have pushed me to succeed in my wrestling career and academic career haven’t necessarily threatened me with it, but they have demanded it of me,” Perry said. “They demanded that I do well, and they demanded that I have the motivation to overcome the challenges of balancing school and sports.”

To comprehend the massive pressure loaded on Perry, consider his background. For starters, he comes from one of the most famous wrestling families in the world.

Perry’s older brother, Mark Perry Jr., compiled four consecutive All-America campaigns at the University of Iowa from 2005-08. He topped o that run with national championships his junior and senior years.

Perry Jr. was also named the Iowa athlete of the year in 2007, the Hawkeyes’ equivalent of OSU’s student-athlete of the year award. And just like his younger brother, Perry Jr. says he reached the same heights by knowing what was demanded of him.

“GROWING UP AROUND A PROGRAM LIKE OKLAHOMA STATE, THE PHILOSOPHY IS YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST, OR IT’S A FAILURE,” Perry Jr. said. “Chris has done some great things with his career, and he knows that I’m his biggest supporter and how proud I am of him.

But when you grow up in this kind of family, it’s expected, and you expect it out of yourself.”

Next in line is Perry’s father, Mark Perry Sr., who many Oklahoma State fans remember as a star for the Cowboy wrestling team in the mid-1980s. During his time in Stillwater, he helped lead Tommy Chesbro’s Cowboys to two Big Eight championships and NCAA runner-up finishes in both 1983 and 1984.

The former OSU star grappler twice won Big Eight titles at 118 pounds and was a two-time All-America honoree.

Perry stresses that his father’s experience as a student-athlete has been crucial to his own success, both on and off the mat.

“Because of him I’ve always grown up knowing what it took to win,” Perry said. “But he also helped teach me what type of journey it would take to win and keep my priorities straight.”

Perry Sr.’s accomplishments as a Cowboy laid the foundation for a family legacy at Oklahoma State. After seven successful years as an assistant at Nebraska, Perry Sr. joined the OSU coaching sta in 1992 with a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country.

Known for his intensity and motivational talents, Perry Sr. was also a key force behind numerous Cowboy wrestlers winning academic awards. During his coaching career at OSU, his pupils were named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association all-academic team 13 times, and three were awarded the esteemed NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Perry said growing up under his father’s meticulous mentality helped him learn to deal with many of a student-athlete’s challenges, such as time management and prioritizing.

“I WANT TO WIN SO BAD IN WRESTLING, AND ACADEMICS IS A KEY PART OF THAT DESIRE, BUT THE FIRST THING I HAVE TO DO IS TAKE CARE OF ALL MY PRIORITIES AND THEN I WORRY ABOUT OTHER THINGS,” Perry said. “I live a very disciplined life. The people who have really guided me through life knew how disciplined I wanted to be with my lifestyle and the way I live, and I took that on as a challenge.”

After the student-athlete of the year award was introduced at OSU in the early 1990s, Perry Sr. saw Mark Branch and Steven Schmidt become the first two members of the wrestling program to earn the honor. It helped provide him with the essential ingredients needed to pass a recipe of success down to his two sons.

Perry acknowledges his father’s wisdom, saying his parents were a vital part of the crowd of people who helped him flourish academically.

“I have been fortunate enough to be extremely successful with my wrestling career, but most of that goes toward my parents, the people at the academic center and my coaches,” Perry said. “Those are the people who have been down a successful path and have shown me the right path to follow. The only obvious path in life was down that road.”

The expectations inherited from a father and brother with such vast collegiate wrestling success is one thing. But the family was also blessed with an Olympic superstar on the tree.

That’s where John Smith, who is entering his 24th year as the head coach at Oklahoma State, steps in.

“HE’S THE BEST COACH IN THE COUNTRY,” PERRY SAID OF SMITH. “HE’S A GREAT LEADER, AND HE PUTS PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT PATH TO SUCCESS SO I’VE MASSIVELY BENEFITTED FROM HIM BEING IN THE FAMILY.”

Smith, a name synonymous with wrestling success, just happens to be Perry’s uncle. The connection formed more than 30 years ago when Smith’s sister, Cathy, married Perry Sr., beginning a wrestling dynasty within a family.

When Perry Sr. first stepped onto the mat at Gallagher-Iba Arena, one of the first families of wrestling was only beginning to blossom. Following the All-America career of Perry Sr., it was Smith’s turn. He went on to win Big Eight individual championships in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was never part of an NCAA team championship, but ended undergraduate days at Oklahoma State with 152 victories, 42 falls and a school-record 47-win campaign in 1988.

His historic run continued through the international circuit and was highlighted by six world championships and gold medals at both the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. Various accolades and awards followed, including membership in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a spot on the list of the 100 all-time greatest Olympians.

On paper, the family has achieved a seemingly endless catalog of recognition in the wrestling world. The tradition throughout his lineage might seem overwhelming to some, but Perry claims he wouldn’t have thrived without it.

“You have to take it ONE PIECE AT A TIME. and it’d be too much to handle if I constantly thought about it,” Perry said. “It’s something that I’ve turned out to be extremely thankful for. This is where it got me, and I wouldn’t take a minute of it back. Those people are the people that have gotten me where I’m at.

“It’s also been a big part of keeping me on my toes in the classroom. There are always challenges down the road, but the college grind is a di erent kind of grind. Seeing those people go through it made me really learn to appreciate it, and it’s made me a better person and an even better wrestler.”

Because of the family ties, Smith has been an influential figure for Perry throughout his entire life. He stood alongside Perry during his entire collegiate career, along with Perry Sr. and the rest of the family.

Overall, he’s seen his nephew develop into ONE OF THE ALL-TIME OKLAHOMA STATE GREATS.

Most importantly, though, he’s watched Perry become more than just a wrestler.

“I’ve seen a big di erence from the time he came in, mainly with him becoming a lot more mature in his personal faith and how he interacts with people,” Smith said. “Through his development, he’s obtained everything a coach could ever want, from passion to drive to hunger.

“There’s no question that he shows great passion on the mat and shows a great conscious academically. Our program is excited about having the studentathlete of the year, and it should motivate the next guys.”

Now that Perry has wrapped up his competitive days with the Cowboys, he plans on continuing to build the family name by competing internationally. He’s already taken steps toward qualifying for next year’s world championships and the 2016 Olympics.

When compared with the careers of each of his family members, Perry’s postcollegiate wrestling career could track the in the same direction as that of his uncle. Regardless of that competitive path, when he decides to hang it up he’ll continue the family tradition of coaching, with hopes of doing so at the collegiate level.

“When you’re competing, you don’t have time to coach so when I’m done competing, that’s definitely what I’ll look to do,” Perry said. “I love working with kids, college kids especially, so I couldn’t see it any other way than coaching at the college level. Right now I’m focused on putting myself in the right position to get those goals done and give myself the best opportunity to continue my career as a coach.”

With his résumé, Perry has all the essential tools needed to be a successful coach. The skills he’s gained over the past four years will become more refined as he gets deeper into the wrestling world, and his academic accomplishments will provide him with the experience needed to lead the next generation of wrestling.

“I feel like the first national title helped me to be a part of my family’s legacy, but I think this year also helped me create my own,” Perry said. “But there’s more to come, I feel like. I just have to stay focused and continue to do what I do.

“I think good things will come.”