To God and Glory
“When I won my first state title, I was like, ‘Wow, like, I did it.’ I'm feeling like on top of the world. And that's why I kind of knew, like, ‘Man, I can be pretty good at this,’” says David.
Iowa State wrestler David Carr is a two-time and defending national champion. A dominating performer who won 96% of his collegiate matches.
Will Dawson: How many matches did you lose in high school?
Carr: Seven
Dawson: You know, every one of them?
Carr: Yeah. So I was 247-7 and every match, I remember the matches I won, but the matches I lost were the ones that I circled.
His discipline was both inherent and coached up by his father, Olympic medalist, Nate Carr, who in 1988 appeared on The 700 Club.
[Excerpt from show in 1988] Pat Robertson: “It’s a pleasure to welcome right now to the 700 Club, Nate Carr.”
“Having a dad like Nate Carr, you know, multiple national champion, he's in multiple Hall of Fames, he wrestled in the Olympics, like it was kind of tough because they just expect you to know what to do. They expect you to be really good,” says David.
Besides teaching David how to be a great wrestler, Nate passed on his faith.
[Excerpt from show in 1988] Nate Carr: “All the things that we win down here on earth, all medals and trophies they’re going to pass away. But one thing that you can be sure of, if you’re in Jesus Christ, he’s going to give you eternal life.”
“My dad is so humble, I didn't even know how good he was really,” says David. “He didn't really talk about winning that much. And, he was a pastor for a really long time, after coaching. And so, like, most of our conversations were more about faith, character, integrity. And then as he started to get back into wrestling and coaching wrestling, that's when I kind of was like, ‘Oh, now I'm trying this wrestling thing.’
“I wasn't very good at first. And, I knew that he could help me, though as I started to grow and I found that he was very knowledgeable with the wrestling, the faith, the lifestyle it took to be a champion.”
David excelled on the mat, however after arriving at Iowa State, he found his love for God growing cold.
“I'm just kind of doing my thing and just kind of living for the world, living my own life, even though, you know, I'm saved, I'm a Christian. I had like, really found a way to have, that change in my heart that that softness in my heart,” says David. I wouldn't do anything too crazy. But I definitely wasn't living a life that was honoring to God, I would say. And then finally living, trying to live for just my own pleasure in my own life.”
The realization was a catalyst for change.
David says, “I came to a breaking point. I wasn't happy with wrestling. I wasn't happy with where I was in life and I just got on my knees and said, ‘Man, like I tried to do it my way. I tried to do the double life, go to church and then do whatever I want. Really, it's not working out. I feel broken, I feel empty, and there's this void that I have inside me. Then no matter how many championships I win, how many people tell me how great I am, I can't get that in there. I can't, it's not going to change me. There's something that can't be filled.’ And then I just got on my knees and it's like, ‘I just want to live for you. I don't care if I want to go on a wrestling match again.’”
And the change was immediate.
“I was hungry for the Word, I was praying, I was in community,” says David. “Before I didn't have community of people challenging me and hold me accountable. After that moment, I found that community and changed my life. And the point I was like, ‘Man, I want to be so bold with my faith. I want to be so, like, strong with my faith. It’s because of Jesus Christ. It’s because he's changed my life.’”
On March 23rd of this year, David won his second national championship at Iowa State.
“God just really blessed me to win. I don't know, it's crazy because I was like, ‘I don't even care about wrestling and I just want to get close to my faith.’ But as I did that, He just blessed me so much in the wrestling part. because I was more free. I was like, you know, ‘I'm just going to focus on my faith.’ I was like, ‘Man, I've already won with Christ,’” says David.
After graduating this past May, David’s goal is to wrestle in the 2028 Olympics. Beyond achieving Olympic gold, his hope is that others will experience the relationship with God that has fueled him.
“It's in God's hands,” he says. “I put my faith in Him. If I'm world champ or Olympic champ, that'd be awesome, but if I'm not, you know, not much will change in my character how I view life and how much I love other people. I just want everyone to have a relationship with Christ so that when they come to the end of their life and they get to hear, ‘Well done, faithful servant,’ and get to see the riches of heaven. That's the amazing part. That's something that I hope that everyone gets a chance to, to see.”
