PISCATAWAY, N.J. – When David Campbell pinned his opponent during Rutgers’ season opener at Jersey Mike’s Arena, only a few of the 3,000-plus in attendance knew the struggles he overcame just to be in the building. 

For Campbell, competing in front of the Scarlet Knights' crowd was an opportunity he was not going to miss. There was no way his chronic illness would rob him of his moment. 

“It’s an obstacle to overcome,” Campbell said. “I know of other athletes who have it. I just never want to think of the what-ifs. If I did not wrestle, I never want to look back and think to myself, what if I passed on this opportunity?” 

Campbell’s mother, Christine, knew something was off with her fifth-grader during a family vacation to Disney World. Campbell’s identical twin brother, Jakob, was full of energy on the trip, but David was more lethargic and experienced other symptoms that left her concerned. A trip to the doctor followed.  

There, David received a diagnosis that would change his life: Crohn’s disease. 

According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Crohn’s disease causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. ?A chronic illness, Crohn’s triggers abdominal cramps, joint pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and other ailments. An estimated three million Americans are affected by the disease, with some cases more severe than others.  

Campbell’s is more on the difficult side. His entire GI tract is infected. His muscles hurt – with varying degrees of severity – almost daily. When his medicine runs out, he experiences extreme joint pain and fatigue. Mundane tasks such as walking up the stairs can be a challenge when his symptoms are at their worst. 

“Everyone is dealing with their own problems,” Campbell said. “Some days are great, and some days aren’t. Life [with Crohn’s] is like a rollercoaster. Some of those days I’m really tired with terrible joint pain to the point where I wonder to myself if I even want to get out of bed. But I have to go. I have to do what I can with this.” 

To combat the disease, Campbell must undergo intravenous therapy every six weeks. IV treatment delivers medication directly into the bloodstream. This decreases inflammation and alleviates most of the problems associated with the disease. It usually takes Campbell a day or so to get back into a routine after his treatment, and another week before he feels mostly normal. His symptom relief lasts for about five weeks before he begins the process all over again. 

The regimen can take its toll on his body. Campbell drives close to 90 minutes to an infusion center back by his hometown of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. Treatment lasts anywhere from three to four hours. His veins have been impacted by the constant IV infusions, which makes it sometimes hard to get his injections to take hold. The side effects can leave him wiped for several days at a time. 

Campbell never says a word about it. He never complains. Every morning he gets to practice, laces up and jogs onto the mat with the rest of his teammates.  

“These are the cards I’ve been dealt with,” Campbell said. “I just put my head down and work through it.” 

In fact, head coach Scott Goodale and the rest of his staff had no idea about his condition until a few weeks before the season began. 

Campbell wrestled at Bucknell from 2017-21, where he earned 28 career wins and served as a two-time team captain for the Bison. After he received a bachelor's degree in economics from the university this past May, Campbell had one more year of eligibility to use due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Some would have called it a career. Others may have enrolled at a university in a lower division in search of more time in the lineup. With a degree in hand, no one would have blamed Campbell for walking away from the sport. 

He had other plans when he called Rutgers – a Big Ten Conference member and perennial top-25 program – to see if there was a spot for him on the roster. 

“I wanted to go to a place where I could reach my maximum wrestling potential,” Campbell said. “I really believed here at Rutgers I could be the best possible version of myself. I’m surrounded by the best coaches, athletes, and support staff that I could ask for. I’m super blessed to be here.” 

Once cleared, Campbell lifted, trained, and practiced every week over the summer in the wrestling room at the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center. When official preseason workouts began in the fall, Campbell was there every day ready to compete.  

Goodale noticed Campbell’s dedication and picked him to deliver a speech on the topic prior to one of the team’s practices. When Goodale brought Campbell into his office to discuss the speech, Campbell took it as an opportunity to share his story with the staff. 

Goodale was, to put in his own words, “emotional.” 

“I picked up the phone and called my wife,” Goodale said. “I told her ‘You have to hear his story.” 

So did the rest of his teammates. 

Campbell addressed the program and spoke about leaning into the struggle. In the sport of wrestling, every day is a constant battle to find the motivation to get better. Instead of shying away from those challenges, Campbell told his teammates to embrace them. 

“If it was easy, everyone would do it,” Campbell said back in October. 

“He's gone through a lot,” said teammate Joseph Olivieri. “When he told his story to the team, I just couldn't believe someone could go through all of that and still want to come out here every day and compete.”

You need a rare level of commitment to the sport to show up every day the way Campbell has. 

A reserve at both 133 and 141 pounds, Campbell has wrestled mostly in open tournaments this season and has collected eight wins in the process. Wrestlers usually have to get themselves to these events and are competing for the entire day. If you do not show up, life goes on. There is no one there to hold you accountable. 

His teammates in his weight class are some of the best in the country. Graduate student Sebastian Rivera is a legitimate Hodge Trophy candidate with his NCAA-leading 11 tech falls and No. 3 national ranking at 141 pounds. Olivieri owns a top-20 individual ranking of his own at 133 pounds.

But Campbell continues to show. When Sammy Alvarez – a 2020 NCAA qualifier – needs a partner to roll around with, Campbell is there. When Olivieri needs an extra push, Campbell is first to volunteer. As the team finishes workouts and walks off the mat, Campbell is usually one of the last to leave, staying behind to work out and keep his weight down in case his name is called. 

“In my 15 years of coaching here, David Campbell is by far the most grateful person to put on the Block R that I have ever come in contact with,” Goodale said. “For David, it’s all about getting guys in his weight class better. That’s character. You don’t find many guys like that.” 

Campbell faced NJCU’s Andre Ruiz on Nov. 7 during RU’s opening-season quad meet. He picked up two takedowns in the first period and reversed his opponent off the restart in the second, locking up the cradle for the second-period fall. The crowd erupted as Campbell flexed his way off the mat. The only thing bigger than RU’s 3-0 day was the smile on Campbell’s face when his hand was raised. 

It was an opportunity achieved by leaning into his struggle.  

With everything he has been through, there is no place he would have rather been than at the center of the mat in Piscataway. 

“I love this,” Campbell said. “I wouldn’t let something like this hold me back. I know what I signed up for knowing at the end of the day, no one is coming to save me. I tell myself every day that someone has been through this before.”