Dan Russell"It's part of the hamster wheel we jump on. Then we realize there has to be more to life."
Those are the words of Dan Russell, who, after achieving great things as a wrestler -- as a four-time high school state champ, four-time NCAA Division II champ, and two-time U.S. Olympic alternate in Greco-Roman -- found himself with those same kinds of thoughts about what more is there.
How did he deal with those feelings? Russell wrote a book titled "Finish Strong: The Dan Russell Story" published in September by Rising Star Studios.
The journey to write this book
"It was healing for me to process my journey," Russell said of the writing process. "I had a taste of that in my senior year of college, when The Oregonian followed me around, and came up with a series that ran nine complete newspaper pages. That was very revealing. You're exposing yourself in an intensely personal way."
"It was like that all over again, writing the book."
"Then again, wrestlers learn to put everything on the line."
"I started writing a book at age 19," Russell disclosed. "I had about a hundred pages written. Then my brother Joe (now head coach at George Mason University outside Washington, D.C.) said, 'Why don't you wait 'til you're 40 and have lived more of your life."
"When I was forty, I was coaching at an event in Turkey. Joe Warren asked me, 'How did you finish strong?' -- a sincere, heartfelt question, and, where the title came from."
Fast-forward a few years.
"The printed book arrived at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships," said Russell. "I had a table set up to sell it."
"Joe Warren had a booth set up right next to mine. I told him, 'Here's the answer to that question you asked in Turkey.'"
More than a memoir
Dan Russell's book is a memoir, in that it is an account of his life on and off the mat. But it's so much more than "I wrestled so-and-so" and "I won this title" ... addressing deeper, more philosophical matters that will resonate with anyone who's lived life, even if they've never pulled on a singlet.
"How do wrestlers navigate their lives after wrestling?" Russell told InterMat. "After winning my fourth national title and earning my third Outstanding Wrestler award, I arrived back home to the airport, where the local media -- TV and newspapers -- met me at the gate. It was an opportunity to talk about my accomplishments with each reporter. As the process went on, my coaches and teammates had left. I couldn't wait to get home and put my trophy up on display with the others."
"It ended up being the loneliest night of my life. It was exciting, even fun, to reach the goal I always had in mind, but I immediately wondered, 'What's next?'"
"I think that's true for so many of us, not just wrestlers. We pursue a goal, and, once we reach it, then we wonder what's next."
"It was that night that I said, 'God, I want you to shape my life.'"
"I continued to have a great (wrestling) career but my life became more than titles and trophies. I now had a God perspective."
An audience beyond wrestling
"People of all walks of life tell me they identify with the book, not just wrestlers," Dan Russell continued. "It's not just for wrestlers. After all, life is a wrestling match. In fact, I think people outside the sport can identify with the sport."
"It's fun to get responses from readers. So many have said, 'I couldn't put it down.'"
Dan Russell was a four-time NCAA Division II champSo how did "Finish Strong" come together?
"I met a literary agent who introduced me to a writer outside the wrestling world," Russell told InterMat. "Craig Borlase came to my home, looked at what I had written. He streamlined it, seeking to help me focus on what would speak to a wider audience, while still remaining true to my life."
"It was a great collaboration."
"I'm unbelievably pleased with the finished product ... I can't tell you how exciting it was to first hold the published book in my hands at the Worlds."
Much has happened since September. Russell is hearing from lots of folks who have told him his book spoke directly to them ... including a couple former wrestlers well-known beyond the wrestling community.
"Jim Jordan (Republican Congressman from Ohio, and NCAA champ for Wisconsin) said it reminded him of his upbringing. I had a great conversation about the book with Dan Gable."
Someday, Dan Russell may find even more people talking about his life story.
"Screenwriters have expressed interest in the book," said Russell. "The goal: to make a signature film that speaks to folks beyond wrestling. I want to make a signature film that reaches people outside the sport. A universal story of triumph over tragedy."
Russell hopes this could open doors for more wrestlers to share their own lives.
"I think there are amazing stories in wrestlers that wrestlers need to tell to the outside world ... There are so many unsung heroes in the sport."
Russell sees a receptive audience for these stories.
"I think the International Olympic Committee dropping the sport (in 2013, then reinstating it months later) has actually widened interest in the sport."
"Finish Strong: The Dan Russell Story" is available in as a printed trade paperback as well as an e-book. Visit http://battleground.tv/finishstrong/# to order direct from the publisher or for a list of online resources such as Amazon.com.
Enjoyed reading about this book? You might want to check out InterMat's article from June 2014 about the book "Faith and Wrestling" by Michael Fessler, former wrestler at Apple Valley High School and Cal State Bakersfield.
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