Jordan Burroughs

“I think every athlete is afraid for their career to be over.”

“I don't describe myself as a nationalist, but I do love my country.”

“We have a lot of wrestling fans out there just looking for a star to cheer for.”

“I think Americans, as a nation and culture, once something is recognized for a week or two, people kind of forget about.”

“Every person I wrestle, it's the biggest match of their career. They're Buster Douglas. But what's the honor in being Mike Tyson and beating Buster Douglas? I win and move on. They win, and it's a game-changer for the rest of their lives.”

“I have wrestled in almost every tournament in the world. I've won the Olympics, NCAAs, and World Championships, but none of those can truly compare to the feeling I felt when I won my first and only state championship my senior year of high school.”

“I'd definitely like to give back. I know a lot of kids watch college wrestling, and a lot of kids watch me, want to meet me and introduce themselves.”

“I love kids - they're so carefree and always put a smile on my face.”

“I've had matches that were close.”

“If you come from Jersey, you're tough. You've been through the grind.”

“Every single time I get on the mat, every tournament, I get to see what I'm made of, how tough I am, where my desire is, and how hard I've worked.”

“If you look at my iPod, I've got so much different music. I think that it kind of describes me as a person, just being a chameleon to whatever particular environment that I'm in.”

“I enjoy wrestling. I enjoy the sport. I get to go against the world's best athletes.”

“Anything less than gold is a failure to me. It's extreme pressure, but I hold myself to a high standard.”

“It's never too late to be great.”

“It's one thing to never accomplish anything. You start from the bottom, you remain at the bottom, and all you know is the bottom. When you start at the bottom and you get to the top, and you feel the success and the notoriety and the recognition from being the champion, and you go back to losing, that's a tough place to be in.”

“My one and only focus at the Olympic Games is to win a gold medal.”

“The worst thing for me would be going back to where I was - relative obscurity.”

“When I was growing up, I was a big Ultimate Warrior fan; I liked Macho Man Randy Savage and a lot of other bad dudes.”

“The way the podium is situated in wrestling, the first place spot is the center. So if I'm in a bathroom, I'll look for the first place urinal.”