Jan. 21, 2005

At first glance, redshirt freshman Raymond Jordan appears to be 165 pounds of pure muscle. But spend a minute talking to him, and you'll find out that the soft-spoken North Carolinian is more than just brawn. He is equal parts heart and work ethic, a combination that Coach Smith believes will take him straight into the Tigers' record books.

Lured by the individuality of the sport, Jordan began wrestling in the seventh grade and never looked back. At New Bern High School in New Bern, North Carolina, Jordan racked up 200 wins and three high school championships; all while earning a spot on his school's honor roll. Although he had played football and ran track, it was the sport of wrestling that best fit Jordan's self-reliant personality.

"I like wrestling because you can't blame anyone else if you don't achieve your goals," he said.

It is this independent attitude that has not only helped him athletically, but in his personal life as well. With the passing of their parents in 1992, Jordan and his two siblings came to rely on their physically impaired grandmother as their primary caregiver.

"We had to assume some roles that we weren't ready to deal with at an early age," Jordan said. "It made me mature a little faster than other kids, [but] we made the most of it."

Jordan also plans to make the most of his time at the University of Missouri, a school he was drawn to because of its promising wrestling program and family-type atmosphere. The self-described "laid-back guy," enjoys reading, playing video games with his teammates and has a mind for math and science. Jordan is an undecided business major whose goals include maintaining a 3.5 grade-point average and becoming a multiple time national champion.

One thing is for sure, with his determination, maturity, and positive attitude, the sky is the limit for Raymond Jordan. -Emily Allen