Coach to competitor: Decker's return to the mat

Upper Iowa University's Justin Decker never lost the desire to compete. It had just appeared those days had passed.

He was a coach, working as a dairy farmer and building a family, but last spring the 33-year-old Decker decided to defy the odds return the to mat for one final semester of eligibility.

Now, Decker gets the chance he desired, wrestling in the NCAA Division II Championships today and Saturday at University of Nebraska-Omaha's Sapp Fieldhouse. Competition begins this morning at 11.

Decker owns an 18-9 record and placed fourth at Super Regional 3 to qualify. He faces UNC-Pembroke's Michael Williams (10-1) in the opener.

“I have no regrets,” Decker said. “I'm glad I chose to do it. I'm excited to compete in this national tournament.”

Decker has coached for more than a decade, serving as an Upper Iowa assistant the last two years, five more as a North Fayette High School assistant and two-year head coach at West Central.

Returning was always in the back of his mind. Upper Iowa Coach Heath Grimm hounded Decker to use his remaining eligibility, but backed off a few years ago. The timing proved beneficial for himself and the Peacocks, who were 13-1, NSIC champions and ranked as high as third nationally.

“What he's done has been tremendous,” Grimm said. “Just to come back and compete, be a starter and then to qualify for the NCAA championships, now he's put himself in position to live the dream. That's to win four matches.”

The decision was finalized and announced during the team's postseason awards banquet in April. “We were just really excited, because we knew how good Decker is,” Peacocks two-time All-American and 2009 NCAA runner-up Travis Eggers said. “We knew he'd be a big part of the team and make us better.”

Eggers watched as someone who helped him develop his skills go from coach to coached.

“He's a good team member,” Eggers said. “He brings a lot to this team, so we enjoy having him as a team member.”

The support isn't limited to just his team. Decker's wife, Amber, and daughter, Braiden, 10, and son, Kanen, 3, are behind him getting his degree and lacing up the shoes again.

Decker said Amber, who is expecting the couple's third child in July, said “go for it” when he approached her about the idea.

“She's proud of me,” Decker said. “It's been fun for the both of us. She's probably been my No. 1 supporter,”

Plenty of reminders of Decker's the age difference. He recalls being impressed as a high-school coach by Kyle Pedretti's ability as an eighth-grader. Pedretti is the 20-year-old 133-pounder national qualifier for the Peacocks. Wartburg heavyweight John Helgerson wrestled for Decker at North Fayette. He earned All-American honors in the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships last week.

“There's a lot of things that make me feel old,” said Decker, who still works four to five hours a day on the farm. “I start thinking about some of these guys. ... Heck a lot of these guys were in diapers when I won my state titles.”

Don't think that goes unnoticed by the other Peacock wrestlers. Decker is often the recipient of good-natured ribbing.

“They're constantly making wisecracks about my age,” Decker said. “They've told me to my face they have the utmost respect for my decision to do this. There's a lot of mutual respect.”

Decker's past achievements deserve some respect. He was a two-time state champion for West Central High School, posting 150-7 career mark with 89 pins where he received All-America honors. He continued his career with the University of Iowa where he wrestled a few seasons before leaving during the 1997-98 season.

“It's like having another coach helping in the practice room,” Grimm said. “He knows the effort that's necessary.”

His experience helps separate him from the younger wrestlers field.

“He's battle tested,” Grimm said. “He knows the mental walls you have to go through within a match, (and) a season, to come out on the right end at the end of seven minutes.”

The ability is there, even though Decker and Grimm admitted it would have been ideal physically to compete four or five years ago. The body doesn't respond the way it did years ago.

“Every day it's aches and pains,” said Decker, admitting he had to get reacquainted to weight cutting. “At this age, I have to deal with a lot more of that than I had to in my early 20s. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think I can hardly even get out of bed.”

All the soreness and bumps have been worth it. Decker had high aspirations for the national meet when he chose to return to action.

“I'm living in the moment,” said Decker, whose father, Roger, 68, died after a battle with cancer before the Super Regional tournament. “I'm going to give this first guy all I got. I'm definitely not going to take a back seat to him.”