#OffTheMat

A Day in the Life of Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs

By Eric Olanowski

PHILADELPHIA, United States (January 11) --- Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) gave us a rare glimpse into what a day in his life looks like chasing a second Olympic title while being a father of four, husband and six-time world champion.

Burroughs started his day by waking up at 5:45 am. At 6:00 am, he made his way down to his gym, conveniently located a few floors below his apartment, for an ISO-movement/functional mobility workout with Conor Millstein.

After his hour-long morning workout, Burroughs took a little more than an hour to himself, showering and answering business emails, before his four kids and wife woke up.

At 9:00 am, Burroughs went down to the lobby of his high rise to grab his groceries before sitting down for his favorite meal of the day, breakfast, with his wife, Lauren, and four kids, Beacon, Ora, Rise and Banner.

Following breakfast, Burroughs sat down at the family kitchen table for bible study and a Spanish lesson with his two oldest kids, Beacon and Ora.

Around 10:30 am, Burroughs packed his bags for practice and turned his kids over to Lauren. Then, he drove 20 minutes to the Pennsylvania Region Training Center, where he practiced from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Once practice was in the rearview, Burroughs made his way to Vibes Barbershop for a 2:00 pm haircut with his barber, @crafty.lou.

After getting a fresh cut at Vibes Barbershop, Burroughs went home to prepare for the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center's Evening Of Celebration, a night to celebrate Jordan winning his sixth world title and the successes of his fellow PRTC athletes.

Burroughs arrived at the Evening Of Celebration dinner at 17:10. He spent an hour mingling with guests and friends before wrapping up his 15-hour day with a speech.

Obituary

Franz Beckenbauer, football legend and wrestling's friend, passes away

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (January 10) -- Franz BECKENBAUER was a football pioneer, a World Cup legend and one of the world’s biggest sporting heroes. A true global star, he was worshipped by millions across the globe. And it wasn’t just the football fans for whom he was a hero.

Beckenbauer, who passed away on Monday aged 78, held a special place in the wrestling family for his immense contribution to popularising the sport and bringing it back into the Olympic fold.

When the wrestling fraternity was leaving no stone unturned to return to the Olympics back in 2013, Beckenbauer famously lent his unwavering support. Fondly known as The Kaiser, he shared his thoughts on the future of wrestling, met UWW President Nenad LALOVIC to discuss ways to improve the sport’s visibility and campaigned for its inclusion in the Olympics after it was removed from the program 11 years ago.

For this, Beckenbauer was awarded wrestling’s highest honor, the Golden Necklace. It’s an award usually given to the heads of state.

Speaking at the ceremony, Lalovic had said: “Franz said he grew up wanting to be a wrestler but his coaches told him he was too skinny and to try another sport.  The world is pretty glad that he did.”

Indeed, world football is richer and in a better place today because of Beckenbauer.

FRANZFranz Beckenbauer was awarded wrestling’s highest honor, the Golden Necklace, by UWW Bureau Member Rodica YAKSI.

Gifted with grace that he combined with steely determination, the player who started as a forward before dropping back and starting as a defender until he eventually created an altogether new role – the libero - redefined football.

He is one of the three men to have won the FIFA World Cup as a player and a coach. On both occasions, he masterminded wins over two players hailed as the greatest to ever grace football.

At the 1982 World Cup, the West Germany team captained by Beckenbauer defeated the legendary Netherlands side led by Johan Cruyff, the father of ‘total football’ philosophy. Then, as a coach of the German team at Italia 1990, Beckenbauer halted Diego Maradona’s Argentina.

At club level, too, he tasted incredible success with Bayern Munich, whom he led to three consecutive European titles as a player before taking them to further heights as a manager and later as the club’s president.

In the later stages of his career, Beckenbauer had a successful spell with Bundesliga side Hamburger SV and went on to win three North American Soccer League titles with New York Cosmos.

The Kaiser had an oversized impact on world football. But his influence reached far beyond the football field, as the sport of wrestling experienced in 2013.

UWW mourns the passing away of one of the true sporting icons spanning generations and expresses its deepest sympathies to the Beckenbauer family.