FAQ
Application
Chris K. Campbell
835 W. Smith Valley Road
Greenwood, IN 46142
(317) 882-5931
Chris Campbell has lived in Delaware
County most of his life. He attended Eaton Elementary
School, North Del Middle School, & Delta High School. He is
the oldest of five children. His parents are Paul and June
Campbell. Paul teaches at the Muncie Area Career Center,
and June is a Hairdresser in a small shop at their home
located on a farm near Eaton and Albany. Chris has three
sisters (Juli, Joni, & Jaye Linn) and one brother Craig.
The Campbell Family has enjoyed much success in both
athletics and academics.
Chris’s
wrestling career began in 6th grade where he
wrestled at 75 lbs for North Del Middle School. He was a
two-time County Champion.
As a 1978 freshman at Delta high School
Chris was instrumental in the building of Delta’s Wrestling
Dynasty. At this time Delta had only one State Champion in
its history and had never been considered a wrestling
power. Chris placed third in the Semi-State at 105 lbs, and
was voted Outstanding Freshman.
In the years to follow Delta High
School became well known in Indiana Wrestling. Chris placed
3rd in the State Finals in 1979 at 112 lbs, and
he was runner-up in 1980 at 126 lbs. In 1981 Delta High
School won its first State Championship at Market Square
Arena in impressive style. Campbell was the team’s first
individual champion with a first period pin. Chris pinned
26 of his 30 opponents in his undefeated senior year. In
addition to his State Championship Title he was a four-time
County Champion, three-time Conference Champion, and
four-time Sectional Champion. He finished high school with
104 wins and only 14 losses.
Chris received an athletic scholarship
to Indiana State University, and in the fall of 1981 he
became the varsity 126 lb. wrestler on the #10th
rated team in the country. As a Sycamore, Chris not only
excelled on the mat, but by the end of his freshman year he
had earned a 3.57 grade point average. He survived a tough
season of competition and received the Outstanding Freshman
Wrestler Award.
During the next few years Chris
developed into one of the top competitors in the country.
In his junior year he qualified for the Division I Finals.
As an unseeded wrestler he knocked off the Division II
National Champion and the Division III National Champion.
He then faced Greg Randall of Iowa who handed him his first
loss of the tournament.
In his senior year, Chris avenged that
loss by beating Randall in the Midlands Wrestling
Championship. Chris placed 4th in the tournament
with his only losses to Gene Mills and Barry Bohay (both had
competed in the Olympics and World Championships). Chris
had beaten all other top college wrestlers including Nation
Champion Jim Jordan of Wisconsin during this season. Chris
was rated #1 in the nation by National Mat News in February
of 1985. It was short lived #1 rating as he was defeated
two weeks later in the Mid-West Regional.
Chris was asked to stay with the
Indiana State Wrestling program as a Graduate Assistant
Coach. Head Coach Ralph Manning then recruited younger
brother Graig Campbell to ISU. Chris was invited to a
try-out for the New York Athletic Club Traveling Team.
Chris couldn’t make it to the competition due to conflicts
with his student teaching assignment at the University.
In 1986 Chris graduated from Indian
State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in
Industrial Technology. His future wife, Julie Christopher,
also graduated the same year with Bachelor of Science Degree
in Business Management and Administration. In this same
year the President of the University dropped several
athletic programs: Men’s and Women Gymnastics, Bowling,
Tennis, and Wrestling. These unpopular decisions hurt many
athletes and their sport. It also forced the Campbell
Brothers to move out of Indiana.
Craig went to Eastern Illinois to
continue his education and wrestling career. Chris went to
the University of Missouri in Columbia where he was an
Assistant Wrestling Coach while finishing his Master’s
Degree.
On August 15, 1987 Chris and Julie were
married in Seymour, Indiana.
Today Chris is in his fourth year of
teaching at Creenwood High School, and he has completed his
third year as the head wrestling coach. Chris and Julie
recently had their first child. Christopher Paul Campbell
was bon December 29th and weighed-in at 6 lbs 9
ounces.
The Campbell’s are members of the
Community Church of Greenwood and live near the high school
on Smith Valley Road.
