Chris PerryChris Perry is the newest member of the Smith/Perry wrestling dynasty to compete for an NCAA title. His uncles Lee Roy, John, and Pat Smith were NCAA champions for Oklahoma State, while another, Mark, was an All-American for the Cowboys. His father, Mark Perry Sr., was a two-time All-American. Most recently, his older brother, Mark Perry Jr., was a two-time NCAA champion at Iowa.
It's a strong gene pool.
"I pretty much grew up in Gallagher Arena ... I mean, I've been to the NCAA tournament 16 times," said Chris. "Top-level wrestling has always been part of my life."
Despite the unquestionable pedigree, Perry's success at the Open did surprise one member of the Smith/Perry dynasty: his brother Mark.
"I didn't think he'd place at the Open," said Mark. "I mean, I guess he could have, but he'd hurt his knee and only had 10 days to train for the tournament, and that's a really tough tournament."
Injured and on a short training schedule, the Stillwater, Oklahoma native rattled off consecutive wins against former Northwestern All-American Mike Tamilow, Penn State All-American Quentin Wright, and former two-time NCAA champion Chris Pendleton, before falling in the third-place match against David Bertolino.
Chris Perry (Photo/Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)According to Mark, his little brother's edge come from a family not just rooted in wrestling but also in competition.
"Everyone in this family is trying to outperform the other," said Mark. "We all have that competitive nature and his aspiration is to be the best in the family."
Mark claims that his parents are leaders for the family's wrestling success
"Our mom and dad have to be some of the most knowledgeable wrestling parents in the country," said Mark. "I mean, think about how much wrestling they've seen? And they almost never miss a match."
The brothers are genetically similar, but they have completely dissimilar body types, opposite wrestling styles, and maybe most obvious, conflicting ideas about change. Mark has typically been more of a risk-taker, while Chris tends to stay close to his home and support structure. Mark wrestled at Blair Academy and Iowa instead of taking up arms alongside the family in Stillwater; he's now the assistant coach at Cal Poly. The tumultuous grab-and-go lifestyle isn't for the younger Perry brother.
Mark Perry (Photo/Tony Rotundo, Tech-Fall.com)Also helping Chris is Cowboy assistant coach Tyrone Lewis, who first met Chris at the Cowboy Wrestling Club in 2000.
"It's been nice working with him because we'd already established the trust and we work with each other to develop game plans," said Lewis, who was runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. "No matter how much I teach him, he ends up showing me something ... I'm always learning from him."
Chris said it was Lewis' tutelage and success he most admired as a kid.
"He was definitely my favorite wrestler growing up," said Chris. "He was so explosive, but now I get learn from him, which is pretty cool."
According to Lewis and Mark, the Cowboy freshman did an exceptional job of staying focused during his redshirt season, keeping his grades up, and combining the right amount of attitude and hard work ... something he'll need if he's to win a World or NCAA title.
"I know it's a lot of work, but I'm ready to outwork everybody," said Chris. "I always want to win in everything I do. My goal is to win it all. I have my home, family, and the workout structure ... and these are the things that have been around me while I've been winning since I was a kid."
"He's going to accomplish a lot of great things," said Mark. "I hope he has a lot better career than I did. I definitely know he's capable of it."
So who's better right now: Chris or Mark?
"He's coming along nicely," said Mark. "We probably split takedowns, but he's still got a long way to go before he challenges me on the mat."
"I'm still his big brother."
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