If a single match could define an entire career, for Chris Casey it would be his last one at the 1984 NCAA Division III national tournament. He was in the championship match at 167 pounds. His opponent was Brian Solomon of Western New England and near the end of regulation the score was tied 2-2. With eight seconds remaining Casey was hit with a stalling call that put Solomon in the lead by a score of 3-2. Casey enjoyed over a minute of riding time so when the match ended in regulation he was awarded one point, forcing overtime. The extra session was all Casey as he scored a takedown in the first period and a reversal in the second to account for his 4-0 victory.
It was his second straight national title, the first coming at 158 pounds in 1983, and it wrapped a remarkable career. However, in that championship match, Casey defined his persona. “In a way I was sort of happy that my final match went into overtime,” he said after winning the title in Binghamton, New York. “I was not particularly happy with the way I wrestled in regulation and I didn’t want to end on that kind of a victory. I satisfied myself because I thought I had things under control during the overtime.”
Chris Casey was all about control. He wrestled with a style and grace that isn’t usually seen in the sport. His balance was uncanny. Opponents would grab his leg, or rather he would let them do it and extend it outward so that Casey was on just one leg. For most wrestlers that would mean trouble. For Casey it meant that he had the opponent right where he wanted him.
He was a state placewinner in high school at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Illinois at 138 pounds. He had good, but not great credentials. When he got into college, he moved up to 158 pounds and began to display the incredible attention to detail that would eventually make him a three time NCAA All-America selection and a two time national champion. A superb technician, Casey was rarely in trouble on the mat. He was not the type to win by huge margins and he was not a big pinner.
His boyish face masked an inner toughness that can be best illustrated by an incident that happened in the semifinals of the 1984 national tournament. He was matched against Keith Cavayero of host SUNY-Binghamton. As the first period was coming to a close Cavayero blatantly kicked him as the two were untangling themselves. Without saying a word and showing very little facial expression, Casey kept his anger channeled and for the rest of the bout the unfortunate Cavayero found his face buried in the mat. Finally, with :22 seconds remaining Casey mercifully ended the match by pinning him.
He bought into head coach Dennis Riccio’s philosophy of getting better against the best. He feared no opponent and often moved up in weight class to challenge better wrestlers.
As a freshman he was 26-10 at 158 pounds and won the first of four straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin championships. For the next three years he would suffer defeat just 14 more times and he wound up his career with a record of 153-24-1. Although it has since been broken, it was a school record for career victories at that time. He went 40-7-1 in 1981-82 as a sophomore and placed third in the NCAA Division III national tournament at 158.He won tournaments at Olivet, Cornell, all-Lutheran and Wheaton that year. During his junior year he put together a 42-4 mark and won the Wartburg, Olivet, Cornell, all-Lutheran and Wheaton invitationals. He also was named the “Most Valuable Performer” in the CCIW after winning his third straight conference title. He romped to the national title that year at 158 pounds, winning 9-1 in the championship match.
His senior season was his finest as he recorded a 45-3 record and won the Cornell Turkey Trot, Wartburg, Olivet, Cornell, all-Lutheran and Wheaton invitationals. He picked up his fourth straight conference championship and his second straight national title, but this time it was at 167 pounds.
He was inducted into the NCAA Division III “Hall of Fame” by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1991. He has three of the top 20 single season victory totals in school history.
During his career the Vikings won three CCIW team championships and had three top six finishes in the NCAA Division III national tournament, taking fifth in 1982 and 1983 and sixth in 1984.
Chris and his wife Cathy have three daughters: Samantha, Abby and Grace and live in Mokena, Illinois. A 1984 graduate of Augustana with degrees in business and political science, he is the owner of Spartacus Logistics.
