By Kyle Klingman, W.I.N. Columnist

“Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all.” — Jesus of Nazareth

Unless you’re a diehard wrestling fan or you follow University of Oregon athletics, there is a good chance you’ve never heard of Jeremy McLaughlin. And why should you? His 13-20 record last year and a fifth-place finish at the Pac-10 tournament hardly made him a standout wrestler.

This year, as a redshirt junior, the Medford, Ore., native has compiled an unimpressive looking 5-7 record while competing at 149 and 157 pounds. Never a state champion in high school, McLaughlin willed his way into the Ducks’ starting line-up.

But if there ever was an all-time, all-humanitarian wrestling team, McLaughlin has all-world status already locked up. That’s because McLaughlin’s current record of benevolence and generosity is undisputed and unmatched.

“He’s remarkable,” said Oregon head wrestling coach Chuck Kearney. “Jeremy is one of those guys who gives more than he takes. He sets a code for the team of what’s right and wrong and the guys on the team respect him for that.”

And what’s not to respect?

McLaughlin — who is only 23 years old — just completed his eighth overseas mission trip this past summer. Last year, he skipped the spring semester of school to aid Thailand in its tsunami relief effort.

After high school McLaughlin spent three months caring for AIDS victims in Namibia, a country where approximately 250,000 people (over 20 percent of the population) are infected with the disease.

“When I graduated from high school and I went to Africa for the first time, I experienced something I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said McLaughlin. “And that was an ability to love people beyond myself. An ability to reach out and show them that I love them through my actions, through working for them, and serving them, and really seeing the benefit that it has for other people. That’s kind of the motivation behind going on these trips.”

Most people are moved by tragedy and promise to do something about it. But as soon as the feeling passes they forget about it. McLaughlin wants to make sure that he follows through on his convictions.

“What’s the point of feeling bad about something unless you’re going to do something about it?” McLaughlin asks.

So this past summer McLaughlin used his wrestling background as a tool for the greater good. He wanted to teach underprivileged kids in Namibia how to wrestle.

McLaughlin’s initial idea was to start a wrestling program from scratch in the town of Okahandja, but it turned out that there was one already in place. And the club where he eventually taught was no more than an old warehouse and a bunch of worn out gymnastic mats.

His daily routine consisted of getting up at 6 a.m., working at Christ Hope International during the day, and teaching wrestling at night. His day usually ended at 9 p.m.

The kids’ technique on the first day was crude and unrefined. Namibia is not a country known for its wrestling so McLaughlin’s objective was to take what they had and mold it into something better.

“I just eased my way into it at first and then right around week two I started introducing more strenuous practices, more conditioning and stuff like that,” said McLaughlin. “By the end they were defending shots and they were sprawling. I even taught them a high gut wrench. The entire trip was so rewarding. Within a month, the progress that one kid could make from point A to point B was unbelievable.”

(You can read the rest of this article by subscribing to W.I.N. Magazine. Either contact our office at 1-888-305-0606 or subscribe through this website by selecting the “Subscribe” section on our front page.)