Strength in Weakness: The John Kading Story

Of course, our greatest example of strength in weakness is Christ Himself. Out of His great love (and passion) for us, Christ took upon the human experience. According to Scripture, this involved taking upon Himself our weakness (Hebrews 4:15). What’s more is that He bore the burden of sin and evil on His shoulders, and carried them to the cross. And there He suffered and died. Yet, as the foundation of our faith proclaims: He rose again, bringing victory and hope to the world. How strong and mighty is He who took upon Himself our pain, our suffering, our sin! How strong is He who knew our weakness and overcame it! How mighty is He who showed strength in weakness!

John Kading

It was about four years ago when I heard the backstory to John Kading’s runner-up finish at the 1997 NCAA division 1 national tournament. I was in conversation with Jack Spates (a National Hall of Fame coach from the University of Oklahoma who spent some eighteen years leading the Sooners), and he told me about the inspiring story.

Jack recruited the two-time Illinois state champion to come wrestle for the University of Oklahoma. John Kading had always dreamed of wrestling for a top division 1 program in order to achieve his childhood dream of one day winning a national title. And Oklahoma appeared to be a good fit as Jack was brought in years earlier to help revive the Oklahoma wrestling program, and was proving successful in that endeavor.

John finished with All-American honors as a freshman and sophomore at Oklahoma, and then accomplished his childhood dream as a junior when he won the 1996 NCAA divisional 1 national title. It was during this national title run that John had adjusted his focus relative to wrestling. Up until that point, he admittedly wrestled for himself. However, he realized that wrestling for himself didn’t really align with his passion for wrestling, and it was also causing him to wrestle more conservatively. As a result, he changed his focus. Instead of wrestling for himself, he wrestled as an expression of his love for the sport, as well as his desire to deliver something exciting for his fans to watch.

So, in 1997 John returned to the national tournament as the #2 seed to defend his national title. And it’s this particular event and experience that has inspired so many. You see, John entered the tournament with a completely torn right knee, which was being held together by a large brace that went from the high part of his thigh all the way down to his calf. And his right knee wasn’t the only item on his injury list. His left knee was sprained, and he suffered a hairline fracture of his hip earlier in the season. Needless to say, John wasn’t at full strength – not by a long shot. If he had any desire to defend his title, he would have to do so despite his limitations and unfortunate weakness.

In his opening match of the tournament, John was trailing 6-4 going into the second period; and he had to take an injury timeout just seven seconds in. But he crawled back to the center of the mat and continued without so much as a thought of giving in. He surrendered an escape and had to take another injury timeout after his opponent jumped the whistle and grabbed his right knee. But John continued to fight. He narrowed the score to 7-6 with a takedown. He then took command of the match with another takedown in the third period after his opponent was penalized a point for stalling. And John wasn’t done fighting, even if victory seemed certain at this point. So, he ended the match by throwing his opponent to the mat for another takedown that brought thousands in the crowd to their feet.

The next round he pinned his opponent just under a minute in the second period. He then stepped into the quarterfinals and won a nail-biter 5-3. The win had secured his fourth All-American honors, which was already impressive given the circumstances of his physical condition. But John wasn’t just competing to secure All-American honors; he was there to win another national title.

He stepped on the mat in the semifinals with a formidable opponent from Minnesota. The match was extremely tight. While John put forth whatever offense he could, his opponent was strong and kept great position, holding the match tied at 1-1. Nonetheless, John stuck with his offense, and kept attacking as the match went into overtime. His relentless attacks finally led to a takedown, which put John back in the finals to defend his title.

The thousands in attendance, and especially the Oklahoma fans, were amazed at what John was accomplishing in the face of his limitations. There was something remarkable about it, almost as if they were watching a metaphor for life play out before their very eyes.

John’s opponent in the finals was a wrestler from Iowa: a sophomore named Lee Fullhart who upset the top-seed in the semifinals. John was just a match away from successfully defending his title.

The match went back and forth as both wrestlers exchanged attacks. Both contained strong position, and it was difficult to find an opening to score. At the end of regulation, and with the score tied, the match went into overtime. In the midst of it, John’s knee continued to writhe in pain, and he was forced to take injury time. But John wasn’t going to give up. He returned to the center of the mat and continued to attack with all his might. However, each attempt to secure the victory was successfully countered by his opponent.

Double-overtime gave the choice to Fullhart who quickly chose down. John would have to ride him out for thirty seconds in order to walk away with the win. John paced back and forth – sweating, breathing heavy as his opponent got set in position. The referee signaled him to assume his position on top. John covered. He was ready and willing to give it one last shot. The whistle blew. John held tightly to his opponent; but regardless the inspiring nature of John’s fight, he unfortunately couldn’t hold on. Fullhart escaped quickly, and the match was over.

After the loss, no one was looking upon John with disappointment or pity. The strength he exhibited, and his amazing accomplishment despite his injuries was almost unimaginable. To this day, over twenty years past the event, Oklahoma wrestling fans still talk about the strength in weakness put forth by John Kading. It reminds them that sometimes what occurs on the mat can mean more than just a wrestling match. It can invigorate people. It can cause them to examine their own life and approach as a result of the inspiration they see before them.

The power of strength in weakness

The story of John Kading’s 1997 national runner-up finish is an example of how powerful strength in weakness can be. What’s identified as weakness is not necessarily an object of pity. On the contrary, when strength is shown in weakness, all one can really see is strength. It’s powerful; it’s inspiring. It infers that we are greater than our weaknesses. We are stronger than the obstacles that seek to run us down or hold us back. Strength in weakness reveals the heart of passion. And if we are truly passionate, like John was passionate about wrestling, our willingness to exhibit strength in the midst of adversity will prevail.

Furthermore, as Christians (as God’s icons) the power of strength in weakness reminds us that true passion is unstoppable. So, when we are confronted with weakness, if Christ is our passion, we cannot fail. For as the Scriptures declare: “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31).

(The above is a sample from a chapter in Icon: The Value of Faith and Wrestling. To read the rest of the chapter, check out the book)