The One-Legged Champion

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In today’s edition…

He was born with one leg.

But he found a way to turn it into his advantage.

And what he accomplished was so unexpected, it became a 2024 Hollywood movie.

Let’s dive in 👇

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The One-Legged Wrestler Who Showed The World That Anything is Possible

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It’s hard enough to manage a typical day on two legs, let alone just one.

But from birth, Anthony Robles' life was anything but typical.

On July 20th, 1988, he was born with only his left leg.

Doctors could not give a reason why he was missing his right leg entirely. No stump, no nothing. But that didn’t give Anthony or his 16-year-old mother, who was given no medical explanation for why, any reason not to keep moving forward.

In fact, it empowered them.

“God made me this way,” she always told her son.

Rather than live in despair, Anthony bought into his mother’s words. 

Although doctors fitted him with a prosthetic leg, there was nothing to attach it to, making it basically useless. By the age of three, he tossed it away and never looked back.

Uninterested in pretending to be something that he wasn’t, Robles would rather hop on one leg or use crutches to navigate around. While other kids were learning to walk and run, he had to deal with his own mobility issues.

As the oldest of five, he had little choice but to figure out how to keep up with his siblings and the neighborhood kids, with half the horsepower.

But instead of complaining about it, he just did.

Strengthening his upper body, his core, and his one leg, Anthony adapted games and found ways to work around obstacles (his mom Judy even modified a bicycle for him, using a pedal clip). He refused to sit on the sidelines watching when he was able to play.

While some stared and others teased, he turned his head the other way, deciding that they weren’t worth his time, focusing more on keeping up with those who played a positive role in his life, rather than those trying to keep him down.

Growing up in California, where he played flag football in sixth and seventh grade, Anthony and his family relocated to Mesa, Arizona, for the start of his freshman year of high school.

Inspired by his cousin, the then 90-pound Robles was introduced to the world of wrestling. Not the WWE variety, where the majority of moves are carefully choreographed, but rather Olympic style – a sport in which balance, leg power, and explosiveness are key.

By his own admission, Anthony was the worst wrestler on the freshman team.

Sporting a 5-8 record, the undersized newbie finished last in the city for his age group and weight class, one in which he was at least ten pounds lighter than most opponents.

While most kids would have quit before the season ended, Robles embraced the sport with a passion.

“I got thrown around that first time,” he said, “but I walked away with the biggest smile on my face and the biggest passion for wrestling after that. I knew I wanted to be a wrestler from here on out.”

In between his freshman and sophomore years, something clicked as Anthony transformed himself.

Spending long hours in the gym, he built an upper body that was bigger and stronger than most kids that age could imagine.

Obsessively studying different techniques, the second-year wrestler began to figure out how to use his unique center of gravity as an advantage rather than a liability.

As he had done many times before with various activities, Robles developed a style that nobody had seen before because nobody had been in his unconventional situation to invent it. 

“I never felt like I belonged. I always kind of felt like an outsider and was trying to find my purpose, to fit in some way,” Anthony said. “And with wrestling, I didn’t really need to fit in. Wrestlers, they all have their unique styles.”

After struggling in his first season, he found himself ranked sixth in the state during his second year.

The following two years, he posted a 96-0 record.

The result of his unblemished record? Back-to-back Arizona State Champion and a high school National Championship in his senior year.

Yet despite his success on the mat, most college coaches saw what he didn’t have rather than what he did have.

While he had dreams of wrestling for the Iowa Hawkeyes, only Drexel University in Philadelphia stepped up to offer a full-ride scholarship. Knowing that he was capable of competing against and beating the best wrestlers in the country, Robles sought other options.

With his dream of attending Iowa squashed, Arizona State, another top wrestling program, offered him the opportunity to try out for their team as a walk-on.

Rather than having his schooling paid for, Anthony Robles, with no guarantees, took a chance on himself when few others would.

“My mom raised me with my head in the clouds, so I believed I could do anything I set my mind to.”

Building off of his own unique style of turning his weakness into a weapon, he continued to build his upper body while using mat techniques that other wrestlers never thought of.

Wrestling in the 125-pound class (had he had both legs, he would have been in a higher weight class), he had a bigger and stronger upper body than most of his opponents.

Opposing coaches who studied his film found it difficult to develop conventional game plans due to his unique body mechanics and upper-body strength. 

After redshirting his true freshman year, Robles finished his first season narrowly missing out on becoming an All-American, posting a 25-11 record.

Over the next two seasons, he started to piece everything together, earning All-American status in his sophomore and junior years, capturing the Pac-10 title both seasons. 

Following years of struggles off and on the mat, everything came together for Robles during his final season with the Sun Devils.

Sporting an undefeated 36-0 record, he demolished all opponents during the regular season, earning All-American honors for a third straight year.

Making a beeline to the National Championships, he squared off against reigning champ Matt McDonough. Ironically, McDonough, a sophomore, suited up for Robles' dream school, Iowa. 

Facing the program that had rejected him, and with McDonough representing everything he’d been told he could never achieve, Anthony brought over 17,000 fans at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center to their feet.

Dominating the match from the start, scoring a two-point takedown within the first 44 seconds, the only blemish to this fairytale match was a stalling point penalty late in the final round.

“My coaches prepared me well,” Robles said after the victory. “We’ve been working all year and the past few years on quick draws, quick stick…I couldn’t have done it without him.”

Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a better ending to Anthony's story as he dominated the championship match, winning 7-1. From a kid who had just one scholarship offer, to coming in as a walk-on, to capping off a perfect 36-0 season with a championship.

His final collegiate stats were mind-boggling:

• 124-35 record

• Three-time All-American

• National Champion

But the numbers and the awards don’t necessarily capture everything that he accomplished, as others have had impressive careers.

What Anthony did was force an entire sport – and the sports world in general – to rethink their assumptions of what’s possible.

Since retiring from competition, Robles has worked as a motivational speaker, NCAA wrestling commentator, and high school wrestling coach. His story has been told on paper and the big screen through the 2012 book, Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion, and the award-winning film Unstoppable. 

As a young teenager, he was the worst wrestler in Mesa, Arizona. At 22, he was the best in the country – and he did it with only one leg.

His mother told him God made him that way for a reason.

After years of struggling to prove himself, on March 19th, 2011, standing on the podium with a national championship medal draped around his neck, balancing perfectly on one leg, Anthony Robles showed the world that anything is possible.

🐶 

Today’s story was written by our friend in the north, Steve Lee.

If you enjoyed this one and know someone else who might find it inspiring, please share it and encourage them to subscribe:

Remember, there are 300+ underdog stories over on my website, Joker Mag. Here are a few you might’ve missed:

• Hansel Enmanuel: The Viral College Hooper With One Arm and Zero Limits

• How Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham Redefined What’s Possible in a Wheelchair

• This Teenager Went From Not Being Able to Walk to Winning 1st Place in a Bodybuilding Competition (Exclusive Interview)

Which underdog story should I cover next?

Hit reply and send me your suggestion.

As always, thanks for spending part of your Sunday with The Underdog Newsletter 🤝 

Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

🌟 Trivia Answer: B) It was his birthday. To make it even sweeter, the announcers openly questioned the decision for him to pinch-hit in that big of a spot. I got chills watching it live. Congrats to any Mariners fans who are reading this! 🔱 

👀 In case you missed it: How 5’8″ Alejandro Kirk broke the mold of what a Major League Baseball player “should” look like

🥹 Heartwarming: an NFL cheerleader’s encounter with a young fan named Mark will make your day

🎵 Need a new song for your playlist? Check out this country tune about underdogs

😂 Vladdy Jr. is becoming more and more likable by the day (unless you’re a Yankees fan)