James "Chico" Hernandez (born April 14, 1954) is an American martial artist who competes in the sport of Sambo. He was the first Sambo champion to be featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch and CNN/SI "Faces In the Crowd".
Hernandez was born in the Heart of Chicago, in a community called Pilsen. Hernandez competed and wrestled for Reavis High School, Chicago State University, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the US Army National Team, and the United States National Sambo Team.[1] He is the First Sambo wrestler to be featured on Wheaties (Wheaties Energy Crunch).[2] [3]
In January 1975, he was awarded a wrestling scholarship to Chicago State University. He took second place at the 1976 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District #20 at 158 lbs.[4] He qualified for the NAIA National Wrestling Championships held at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. Hernandez transferred to the University of Maine at Presque Isle in August 1976. In November 1977, he won the Acadia University, Nova Scotia Open. In January 1979, he won first place at the University of New Brunswick International Open Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Hernandez won first place at the 1979 USA Wrestling Maine State Freestyle Wrestling Championships. The State of Maine AAU Olympic Freestyle Wrestling All-Star Team selected him to compete against the Netherlands Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team. Hernandez graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in May 1979.[5]
He enlisted in the United States Army in October 1981. In November 1982, he won the Fort Riley, Kansas Post Freestyle Wrestling Championship in the 158 lbs weight class.[6] [7] [8] In January 1983, Hernandez was selected to the All-Army National Wrestling team at Ft. Bliss, Texas. Hernandez won a Bronze at the Texas Tech Wrestling Invitational and helped the Army National Team win the team title.[9] In November 1983, he won his second Ft. Riley Post Wrestling Championship in the 158 lbs weight class and was selected the "Outstanding Wrestler" of the 3 day tournament.[10] In April 1984, he participated in the 1984 US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Trials.[11] [12] In April 1985, he won the USA Wrestling Vermont State Freestyle Championships in the 163 lbs weight class[13] [14] and in April 1986, he won the USA Wrestling Massachusetts State Freestyle Wrestling Championships in the 180 lbs weight class.[15] In July 1986, he was a Bay State Games Freestyle Wrestling finalist.[12] [15] Hernandez was named Outstanding Wrestler at the AAU /USA National Sambo Championship in May 1987 held at Howard University Washington, D.C..[16] [17] [18] [19] He won the AAU National Greco-Roman Masters Championships, the Greco-Roman Masters All-Around Championship and [20] placed 4th in the Greco-Roman Open.[21] [22] In July 1991, Hernandez won two Gold Medals at the 1991 Amateur Athletic Union National Masters Free-Style Wrestling Championships held in Battle Creek, Michigan. He won the 35-39 age-group and the Masters All-Round Championships. He was selected for the "Most Outstanding Wrestler Award" of the tournament .[23] In 1995, he took fifth place as a member of the USA Wrestling National Veterans Team at the Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées World Veterans Freestyle Wrestling Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria.[24] [25] Hernandez, at age 43, won three Gold medals, two Silvers and two Bronzes at the Grand National AAU Wrestling Championships.[26] He participated in Sambo, Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling contested at the 3 day event in 1997,[27] held at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California.In 1999, he won the 1999 Fédération Internationale Amateur de Sambo Pan-American Gold and Bronze medals in the 180 lbs weight class. Hernandez competed as a member of the USMC National Sambo Team which won the US National Sambo Team Championships held at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, in 1999.[28] [29]
In April 2000, Hernandez won the XXV National AAU Sambo Championships held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. He won the Fédération Internationale Amateur de Sambo Pan-American Silver medal.[30] In July 2000, the 46-year-old Hernandez won the middleweight (163 pounds), Gold medal in the 45-49 age group at the Federation International Association Sambo World Championships held at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. He also earned the Silver medal in the Masters of the Sport category, which combines champions from all masters’ age groups. He won a Bronze medal in the open division.[31] He was selected to represent the US at the World Cup of Sombo in Nice, France. In November 2000, Hernandez led the United States to a second-place finish at the FIAS World Cup of Sambo Wrestling held in Nice, France, himself winning a Silver medal. In November 2001, Hernandez was selected again to represent the United States at the FIAS World Cup of Sambo held in Nice, France. He took 5th place. In May 2003, he won 2 Gold medals at the 6th World AAU Iron Man Wrestling Championships in Open and Masters division held in Knoxville, Tennessee.[32] [33] Hernandez from 1987 to 2003 has achieved AAU All American status as a wrestler 31 times.[34]
In May 2015, Hernandez won double Gold in both Greco-Roman Wrestling and in Olympic Freestyle at the 2015 USA Wrestling Veterans National Championships at the U.S. Open at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier in April 2015, he was crowned at the 2015 Cliff Keen USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in the Veterans divisions. The event was held at the UNIDome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.[35] [36] [37] On September 3, 2016, Hernandez won the NAGA Championships of Ireland in the Executive Expert Heavy Weight divisions in the GI and No-Gi competitions. He won a Silver medal in the Directors division in No-Gi competition. The Championships were held at the University Sports Complex of Dublin City University in Dublin, Ireland.[38] On October 20–21, 2018, Hernandez was selected by USA Sambo Inc. to represent the US at the World Masters Sambo Championships at the Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca Morocco. He competed in the 60-64 age group in the +100 kg weight class. Hernandez defeated Sakhtan Bekpeiisuly of Kazakhstan 5-3 for the Bronze medal.[39]
Hernandez was on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch in December 2001 and was welcomed into the Wheaties Family by Olympic Champion Mary Lou Retton and Tiger Woods in Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York.[40]
Featured in the Scholastic textbook publication on the state of Maine called "Maine: America the Beautiful".[41] [42]
Featured in Discover Maine, "Maine's History Magazine" in 2010.[43]
The AAU Wrestling Executive Committee announce that James "Chico" Hernandez is a 2012 AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee.[44] [45]
Featured in Memories of MAINE. "THE MAGAZINE FOR MAINE HISTORY AND NOSTALGIA" in 2024.