Wrestling virtues readied Geoghegan to take heroic action
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 31 Issue 9, which was published on June 5, 2025. Click here to view WIN’s subscription options (Print/Digital/Combo).
By Tristan Warner
In the spirit of recognizing individuals for outstanding accomplishments in WIN’s annual Awards Issue, I wanted to shine a light on a former college teammate of mine. One who never sought recognition and continues to possess that same selfless nature and team-first mentality, even a decade later.
Devin Geoghegan, a native of Kenilworth, N.J., reached the NJSIAA state finals in 2011 for David Brearley High School. Collegiately, he was a runner-up at the 2013 NJCAA nationals for Iowa Central Community College before transferring to Old Dominion, where he was a three-year starter and All-MAC Academic Team honoree.
After graduating from ODU, Geoghegan moved home to the Garden State and, admittedly, struggled to find his calling, in a professional sense, until 2019. He scored highly on his civil service exam and became a Jersey City firefighter, a profession he had never envisioned himself drifting toward.
But he draws several parallels between his life’s work and the sport of wrestling, which helped mold him into the heroic first responder he has become.
“You have to be ready at all times, just like with wrestling,” Geoghegan said. “It is a physically demanding job, also like wrestling. When that call comes in, it is like match time.
“You have to stay calm, prepare, be a good teammate, and trust your training.”
That is exactly what Geoghegan and his captain, Adam Dalton, did on December 6, 2024, when a call came in for assistance to help rescue a 15-month-old baby that was trapped inside a dwelling.
“The call came in around 2:30 in the middle of the day,” Geoghegan remembered. “A 15-year-old sister was watching the baby, and the report was that the baby was in the back of the residence. You could see a column of smoke. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“Captain (Dalton) heard a baby crying very slightly in the front bedroom. It was wedged between a closet and a mattress. The baby took some smoke inhalation, but we got it out in time. Sometimes you get lucky.”
For their heroic efforts, Geoghegan and Dalton were awarded the Valor Award from the 200 Club of Hudson County. On the official certificate (see photo), the description reads as follows:
“Under extreme conditions of high heat from the fire and zero visibility due to smoke, these two firefighters went room to room searching for the baby with negative results. Now low on air, they exited the build to exchange oxygen bottles, returned inside the structure, and quickly resumed their search for the baby. Upon reaching the front bedroom, Captain Dalton heard a faint crying sound and was finally able to locate the baby who was found face down and wedged between the bed and the wall. These two firefighters grabbed the child and made their way outside to awaiting EMS personnel where the baby was treated and brought to the hospital for further examination. For their quick actions, and for their relentless search, which was instrumental in saving the life of a child, while demonstrating the fire department’s core values of bravery and courage under life-threatening conditions…”
Geoghegan, whose twin brother, Dillon, is also a fireman in Jersey City, was hesitant to share his account of the story publicly due to his reluctance to take credit. He hopes, if nothing else, somebody out there may be inspired.
“I get paid to do this,” he said. “I was doing what I signed up to do. I was doing my job. I wasn’t looking for glory. I was just hoping to make whatever situation I was going into better.
“I was clueless for a few years, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. Maybe this will help someone out there choose a career path.
“This job keeps me on my toes. It could kill me, but it is always changing and there is always something new to learn. I love being a fireman.”
Geoghegan, who also recently got back into coaching the sport of wrestling now that his six-year-old son got involved in a youth club, is quite the role model for young wrestlers, even if he is reluctant to receive that recognition as well.
