High School Courage Award winner has a new fan in Olympic wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs
Had the world not been turned upside down by a pandemic, maybe Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs would have chatted with Dathan Wickson Jr. for a moment or two, taken a couple of photos with the high school wrestler.
Instead, Burroughs has been able to really get to know the teenager and learn his story – a story Burroughs believes the whole world should hear.
“You might not see yourself as a leader, you might not see yourself as a motivational individual. But your story is inspiring and when people hear it, they’re going to love it,” Burroughs told Wickson on Thursday morning. “And they’re going to want to be their best because they’ve watched you be your best.
“You’ve got big things ahead of you, my man.”
Wickson is the recipient of the Courage Award, which he’ll receive Thursday night during the on-demand presentation of the Paste BN High School Sports Award show.
When Wickson was 10, he fell off a couch while he was sleeping and hit his head on a coffee table. Doctors closed the wound, and Wickson seemed to be fine. For the next five years, he played football and wrestled, two of the most physically demanding sports there are. A dislocated knee in the fall of 2017 ended his sophomore football season, but he recovered in time to wrestle that winter.
Then, in March 2018, the headaches began.
Tests showed that when Wickson had hit his head on that coffee table, it caused a crack in his skull. The crack had caused a cyst to form, and that cyst was now leaking spinal fluid. He would have to undergo brain surgery.
“I was kind of scared,” Wickson said. “But at the same time, I knew that I would be able to get through it because I know who I’m around and the motivation from my family.”
In July 2018, Wickson underwent a four-hour surgery to remove the cyst, which had become a tumor. He tried to return to wrestling in the fall, but occasional headaches forced him to sit out the season. At his first practice in October 2019, he got kneed in the head, right where he’d had the surgery.
But by late December, Dickson was back wrestling again. He won nine matches in a row at one point and, in February, qualified for the Illinois state wrestling tournament.
“He’s had to overcome obstacles most people can’t imagine,” said Burroughs, who won gold at 74 kilograms (163 pounds) at the London Olympics in 2012. “It’s refined him and it’s made him really mentally tough and he’s become better because of it. I think his life is going to display all of the things he’s learned from wrestling, but also from the obstacles that he’s overcome.
“I think his future is bright ahead of him,” Burroughs added. “I think it’s going to be really cool to see what he’s able to accomplish moving forward.”
Wickson was surprised and humbled when his father, Dathan Sr., gathered their family to tell them about the Courage Award. When he was told Burroughs would be presenting it to him, Dathan Jr.’s eyes “lit up.”
The Wicksons have been fans of Burroughs for years, watching his matches and interviews. Dathan Jr.’s younger brother even has a pair of Burroughs’ signature shoes.
“He’s the cornerstone of how you conduct and carry yourself,” Dathan Wickson Sr. said.
Because there is no in-person ceremony this year, Burroughs and the Wicksons connected on the phone. What started as a courtesy call quickly turned into something more meaningful, as the three talked about the challenges life throws at you, and not letting them be a distraction or deterrent.
Burroughs also sees a little bit of himself in Dathan Jr.
“I know you have big dreams, I know you operate with character, I know that you’ve been able to persevere through some pretty difficult things. But the preparation phase for whatever thing that you want to do in life is going to begin right now. That’s what I always wish I could have told my younger self,” Burroughs said.
“Do something little every day that’s going to help you achieve that goal,” Burroughs added. “Start now. Start to prepare now. Do the things right now and, when your big break arrives, you’ll be ready for it.”
For Dathan Wickson Jr., that advice is as meaningful as the award that led to them.
"It’s been crazy to watch him on the TV with my family and then actually be able to talk to you," he said. "It was motivating me even more to be a better wrestler and a better person in general.
Gannett’s High School Sports Award shows premier Thursday, June 18, at 6 p.m. in the local time zone for each market. For more details, go to SportsAwards.USAToday.com