Three-Time NCAA Champion T.J. Jaworsky to Be Inducted into North Carolina Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame
This Sunday, May 18, one of the University of North Carolina’s all-time greats will receive a long-overdue honor. T.J. Jaworsky, a three-time NCAA wrestling champion and one of the most decorated athletes in Tar Heel history, will be inducted into the North Carolina Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Few athletes have left a legacy as dominant and enduring as Jaworsky’s. A three-time NCAA champion in one of the most physically demanding sports, he was named National Wrestler of the Year and Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Tournament. He capped off his senior season with an undefeated 38-0 record.
Even 30 years after his final collegiate match, Jaworsky remains a benchmark of excellence—not just in wrestling, but in the history of Carolina athletics.
Though the state of Oklahoma isn’t traditionally linked to UNC, Jaworsky joins a distinguished group from the Sooner State who’ve made their mark in Chapel Hill, including wrestling coach Bill Lam, basketball stars Steve Hale and Brady Manek, and two-time national champion assistant coach Joe Holladay.
Jaworsky’s wrestling journey began at age five in Enid, Oklahoma. After moving to Edmond in sixth grade, he captured four state titles in high school. He started his college career at powerhouse Oklahoma State, where he redshirted one year and competed another, before seeking a new challenge after a disappointing loss in the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
“I called NC State, but Coach Guzzo had the ACC champ returning at my weight. Duke told me I was too much of a wrestler for them,” recalls Jaworsky, now a California-based business owner. “Everyone in Oklahoma knew about Coach Lam. UNC was the right fit.”
Under Lam’s leadership, Jaworsky not only found the change he needed—he thrived. He won three ACC titles, earned two ACC Tournament MVP honors, led Carolina to two top-10 NCAA finishes, and posted a staggering 110-5 record as a Tar Heel. He still holds school records for career winning percentage (.957), wins by fall (50), pins in a season (24), and most wins in a perfect season (38-0 in 1994-95).
Coach Lam credits Jaworsky’s remarkable success to a rare combination of heart, talent, and relentless work ethic. “T.J. had the most unbelievably competitive heart. That’s what made him one of the best collegiate wrestlers ever. If not for a knee injury, he would have made the U.S. Olympic Team.”
While at Oklahoma State, Jaworsky trained with wrestling legend John Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. But it was the mentorship of Lam and his junior high coach, Steve Dunlap, that laid the foundation for greatness.
“They got the best out of me,” Jaworsky says. “They earned your respect and would fight for you if you fought for them.”
In his first season at UNC (1992–93), Jaworsky went 39-1, losing only once in overtime. He dominated the ACC finals and entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. After a thrilling comeback win over Penn State’s Cary Kolat in the finals, he claimed his first national title—a match he still considers the most meaningful of his career.
He won his second NCAA championship the following year in front of a home crowd at the Dean Smith Center, earning a decisive 12-4 victory in the finals. His third title came after a flawless senior season, which earned him the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
Despite a close call in the early rounds, Jaworsky stormed through the competition. “That was my biggest scare,” he recalls. “I got caught, but recovered and pinned him in the second period.”
What set Jaworsky apart was a deadly blend of strength, speed, and instincts honed by relentless repetition. His signature move—a lightning-quick single-leg takedown—was nearly unstoppable.
“Wrestling is all about drilling quickness until it becomes a reaction,” Jaworsky says. “If you think, you’re too slow.”
Lam agrees: “His quickness was elite. He had two versions of the single-leg takedown, and he could shoot to either leg. He’d set a guy up without him knowing—and suddenly, the guy was on his back.”
For context, Jaworsky’s signature move was every bit as iconic in wrestling circles as Phil Ford’s 4 Corners offense, Mia Hamm’s top-shelf goals, or Drake Maye’s downfield strikes in Tar Heel lore.
Jaworsky credits his success to a strong team environment and fierce training partners at UNC, including Dave Leonardis, Josh Miller, Travis Lam, and Olympic gold medalist Kendall Cross. “We had the best workout group in the country.”
That competitive fire still drives him today. As president and co-owner of Sydney Peak Stone in Ridgecrest, California, Jaworsky brings the same intensity to business that he once brought to the mat.
“In wrestling, you get out what you put in,” he says. “It’s the same in business. We compete every day—against global competitors and tough regulations—and we do it with pride and integrity.”
Jaworsky still has strong ties to Chapel Hill, where he also served as an assistant coach after graduation. His oldest daughter, Blythe, will begin her freshman year at UNC this fall, continuing the family’s Tar Heel tradition.
“It’s such a beautiful campus with great people and great programs. I loved every minute there,” he says. “Coach Rob Koll is doing great things with the wrestling program, and it’s exciting to see what’s ahead.”
As the only three-time national champion in ACC history, Jaworsky’s place in wrestling—and Carolina—history is secure. This weekend’s Hall of Fame induction is more than a recognition of past glory. It’s a celebration of an enduring legacy that continues to inspire.
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