James Chico Hernandez

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James "Chico" Hernandez (born April 14, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois) is an accomplished athlete in the sport of Sombo wrestling and a five-time member of the Team USA National Team.

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[edit] Sombo and wrestling activities and achievements

Hernandez competed for Reavis High School in Burbank, Illinois. After graduation from Reavis in 1972, Hernandez began wrestling in a city-sponsored park wrestling program when he won the City of Chicago Park District Championships. He attended Chicago State University and transferred to the University of Maine at Presque Isle and graduated in 1979. Hernandez was named head wrestling coach at UM – Presque Isle for the 1980-81 seasons. He left coaching, joined the Army and won three Fort Riley/U.S. 1st Infantry Division Championships. He was admitted to the All-Army Wrestling team in 1983.

In 1987 he won the US National Sombo Championship and was named Outstanding Wrestler at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Hernandez continued to have success in Sombo by winning US National titles in 1997, 1999, 2000, Pan-American Bronze 1999, and silver in 2000. In 2000 he won a world Bronze medal at the FIAS World Sombo Championships along with a World Masters Championship in Dayton, Ohio. He was selected to represent the United States at the FIAS World Cup of Sombo Wrestling held in Nice, France and won a silver medal losing to defending World Champion Vanio Toderov of Bulgaria.

In 2004 and 2005 he won the title British Sombo Open Silver Medalist. He won the AAU Iron Man World Wrestling Championships in 2003 in Knoxville, Tennessee and is a 31-time AAU National Wrestling All-American.

Despite his age at 53, Hernandez continues to compete internationally in sombo, wrestling and submission wrestling events. In November, 2006 he won the title North American Grappling Association Vice-Champion and March, 2007 he won the British Sombo Open Silver Medal.

[edit] Honors and awards

Hernandez was featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch in December 2001. Over 15 million boxes were produced and sold all over the world from December 2001 until January 2005. Hernandez said that he received one of the greatest honors that has ever been bestowed on him, one he'll never forget.

“I received a letter of congratulations from the US Army Reserve's Command Sergeant Major Alex Lackey," Hernandez said. "He told me that I am the Everyday Champion and I represent over 205,000 Reservists all over the world". "I never received that kind of letter or acknowledgement from anybody in my entire military career! I was deeply honored".

He was also featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" and CNN/SI "Faces in the Crowd."

He has been featured in Grappling, Black Belt Magazine, Inside Ku-Fu, Army Reserves Magazine and other magazines and websites. On June 4, 2006, Hernandez was inducted with baseball shortstop Mike Bordick into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

Hernandez has been inducted into these athletic Halls of Fame:

Hernandez has been presented by Maine Governor Angus King with the State of Maine Legislative Sentiment Awards for his work in Wrestling and Sombo. He has been Awarded a total of twelve State of Maine Legislative Sentiment Awards by both the Houses of the Maine State Legislature.

Hernandez was selected to serve as the Grand Marshall of the Washburn August Festival Parade in 2002.

[edit] Professional life

Hernandez works as a licensed social worker at the Maine State Prison, and serves as the Self Defense Instructor for the Maine Department of Corrections. He volunteers in local schools to warn children of the dangers of drugs and crime. He also donates his time by helping out with town recreational activities, sports and martial arts. He holds the rank of First Sergeant (1SG) and served as a combat basic training instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in the United States Army Reserves from 2002-2005.

Hernandez resides in Washburn, Maine.

[edit] Trivia

  • Hernandez is a brother of Kappa Delta Phi National Fraternity.
  • Hernandez led Oak Hockey in 1974 to win its first Illinois Amateur Hockey Association Jr. C State Ice Hockey Championship.
  • He scored his first NCAA Goal against Northern Illinois University 1976 while playing for Chicago State University.
  • He played two years of Semi-Professional Ice Hockey for the Perth Raiders of the St. John Valley Hockey League; New Brunswick, Canada.
  • Hernandez is the First Sambo Fighter to appear on the Box of Wheaties.
  • He is the First Sambo Fighter to appear in CNN/SI “Faces In the Crowd”.
  • He threw out the first pitch at the 4th of July 2003 Portland Sea Dogs Baseball Game.
  • He is a US Army Master Fitness Trainer and is a Graduate of Premier Class 1983.
  • He is a 10th Degree Black Belt Sport Sombo, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 9th. Degree Black Belt Wrestling, Martial Arts Academy of America, 3rd Degree Black Belt Military Combat Sombo; USMC Quantico, Virginia, 2nd Degree Black Belt Submission Fighting, Metro Fight Club Detriot, Michigan, 1st Degree Black Belt Hybrid Wrestling, Modesto, California, 1st Degree Black Belt Sombo, British Sombo Federation, Sittingbourne Kent England, 1st. Degree Black Belt Sombo, Bulgarian Sports Ministry, Varna, Bulgaria.
  • Hernandez worked as a DJ at CBS Radio affliate FM-101 WOZI Presque Isle, Maine as "Chico The Midnight Rambler" in 1981.
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