National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Latino American Wrestling Experience

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LATINO WRESTLING EXPERIENCE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM | 7 Jimmy Arias was born and raised in the tiny city of Okmulgee, Okla., population topping out at 13,000. According to some, "Okmulgee" in the Creek language means "boiling waters", while others translate it as "babbling brook." If Jimmy Arias is typical of the residents of this community, there is no doubt that the correct translation is "boiling waters." Jimmy was an outstanding wrestler at Okmulgee High School where he was state champion at 148 and 152 pounds in 1992, 1993, and 1994. Top that off with Wrestling USA Magazine's High School All-American Academic Team his senior year and you have an outstanding career that most athletes would be proud of the rest of their adult lives. In fact, Arias still owns 38% of all the state wrestling championships won at Okmulgee High School! The real problem Jimmy faced was that although the vaunted wrestling program at Oklahoma State University is less than two hours away, it's a much, much longer road from a Class 3A wrestling program to one of the best collegiate wrestling programs in the country. That's where "boiling waters" comes in. No "babbling brook" off the mat, during his tenure at Oklahoma State Arias was a competitor few opponents wanted to meet on the mat. Jimmy's record at 20-9 was not exceptional on a team boasting several All-Americans and a two-time national champion in Eric Guerrero, when Jimmy qualified for the 1997 NCAA Championships. And while he was ranked in the top five his senior year at OSU, it was never just wins and losses that sent shivers up the spines of his opponents. What made Jimmy Arias special was his steadfast, straight ahead style that beat you because of his effort and inner fortitude. Wrestlers knew what he was going to throw at them, but still could not stop him. That's not to say that he did not know what he was doing, but it was his "boiling waters" mentality on the mat that opponents feared, his determination to win whatever the price. Arias could give up points, but still wear his opponents down so by the third round it was his to win. Quite simply, Jimmy Arias never stopped coming at you on the mat. So while other wrestlers at the 1998 NCAA Championships were perhaps quicker and more refined in their finesse moves, Jimmy Arias earned All-American honors his senior year, despite injuring his ribs just before the Big 12 Conference finals. Bruised ribs and all, he fought his way to a seventh-place finish at Penn State, a personal achievement that capped off an outstanding career of a wrestling dynamo from Okmulgee, Okla. Jimmy now works for Child Welfare Services in the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in Oklahoma City. Wrestled 1995-1998 Oklahoma State University 150lbs JIMMY ARIAS

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