Hawk Fanatic podcast: Former Iowa wrestler TJ Williams makes guest appearance
IOWA CITY, Iowa – We were honored to have one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the Iowa wrestling program as a guest on the Hawk Fanatic radio show and podcast on a rare Thursday episode.
T.J. Williams, who only lost one match as a Hawkeye over three seasons, came on at the very beginning of the podcast and spoke with us for about 30 minutes.
T.J. is the younger brother of former Iowa wrestler Joe Williams, and together they combined to win five national titles at Iowa, and both are in the Iowa Atheltic Hall of Fame.
The interview with T.J. Williams addressed multiple topics, including why he picked Iowa after having been a fan of former Oklahoma State star wrestler Kenny Monday while growing up in Chicago.
The fact that Joe Williams wrestled at Iowa, of course, played a role in T.J. being a Hawkeye. But T.J. also liked the Iowa wrestling mentality and the fan support.
T.J. has stayed involved in wrestling as a coach, and is the owner and operator of TJ Trained Wrestling in Washington, Ill.
He is also heavily involved in rasing money with St. Jude Runs, whose mission is providing support for St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital.
T.J. and his family became involved in the fundraiser as a show of appreciation for the care that their son, Aidan, received during his fight against leukemia.
Aidan is now healthy and enjoys playing baseball and basketball.
T.J. didn’t play those sports as a kid because he was so focused and committed to wrestling.
So, he enjoys watching his son play different sports.
We appreciate T.J. taking time from his busy schedule to be our guest.