Adam Frey dies after long battle with cancer
Share:
by Jason Bryant
The wrestling community lost a good friend today. Adam Frey, the Cornell wrestler who fought cancer time after time with just as much tenacity as he did when he wrestled foes to the mat, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 26.
Frey was a Junior Nationals freestyle champion and top-ranked recruit when he signed with Cornell University. He was an NCAA qualifier for Cornell as a freshman. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer during his sophomore season.
It's with a heavy heart and glossy eyes that we have to report Adam's passing. Throughout the wrestling world in the last two years, Adam's fight has been an inspiration to everyone. He fought through chemotherapy to coach wrestlers for Team Pennsylvania in Fargo. He got excitable coaching at his own benefit match. He wore a cowboy hat around to cover his bald head, but still thought it was stylish. He fought long enough to see his brother graduate from Blair Academy and wrestle Division I at Princeton. He fought long enough to enjoy the 2009 NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis. He fought long enough to make more friends along the way, more than he could possibly imagine.
He started his own radio show, created his own cancer research foundation, he survived a car accident that should have cut him down years ago.
We lost Adam Frey today, and it hurts. It hurts those close the family the hardest. It hurts the family, who so desperately wanted Adam to beat this, and desperately wanted him to suffer no more. There aren't enough words in the dictionary that can adequately define what it meant to talk to Adam as he documented his fight. Interview after interview, podcast and webcast, feature story and column, Adam raised awareness through his own fight.
I guess we will all struggle to identify as to why this was Adam's time. I'm struggling with it, many of you reading this are struggling with it, friends, fans, family and teammates are all struggling with it.
He beat cancer time after time after time. If this were a boxing match, the ref would have stopped the fight long ago, and we would have hoisted Adam Frey on our shoulders as the kid who beat cancer with bludgeoning force.
But this wasn't a boxing match and life, as precious as we all know it is, came down and leveled us with a punishing sucker punch. We lost Adam today and those of us that knew him, or didn't even have to know him, will shed a tear and say a prayer today.
Adam Frey, we will miss you buddy. You fought the good fight and went down swinging the entire way. You'll be missed by everyone.
From all of us at USA Wrestling and around the wrestling community around the country and the world … you touched so many lives, your memory and foundation will touch many more.
From the Adam Frey Foundation Facebook Group
Subject: ADAM FREY is at peace
I am sorry to inform everyone that Adam passed this afternoon, I was told he was not in pain when he left us. I want to thank everyone for supporting him in his battle and if you would like to leave a message of support for the Frey family please do on his blog. Thank you everyone I know it meant everything to Adam.
Josh Liebman (www.adamfrey.us)
Frey was a Junior Nationals freestyle champion and top-ranked recruit when he signed with Cornell University. He was an NCAA qualifier for Cornell as a freshman. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer during his sophomore season.
It's with a heavy heart and glossy eyes that we have to report Adam's passing. Throughout the wrestling world in the last two years, Adam's fight has been an inspiration to everyone. He fought through chemotherapy to coach wrestlers for Team Pennsylvania in Fargo. He got excitable coaching at his own benefit match. He wore a cowboy hat around to cover his bald head, but still thought it was stylish. He fought long enough to see his brother graduate from Blair Academy and wrestle Division I at Princeton. He fought long enough to enjoy the 2009 NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis. He fought long enough to make more friends along the way, more than he could possibly imagine.
He started his own radio show, created his own cancer research foundation, he survived a car accident that should have cut him down years ago.
We lost Adam Frey today, and it hurts. It hurts those close the family the hardest. It hurts the family, who so desperately wanted Adam to beat this, and desperately wanted him to suffer no more. There aren't enough words in the dictionary that can adequately define what it meant to talk to Adam as he documented his fight. Interview after interview, podcast and webcast, feature story and column, Adam raised awareness through his own fight.
I guess we will all struggle to identify as to why this was Adam's time. I'm struggling with it, many of you reading this are struggling with it, friends, fans, family and teammates are all struggling with it.
He beat cancer time after time after time. If this were a boxing match, the ref would have stopped the fight long ago, and we would have hoisted Adam Frey on our shoulders as the kid who beat cancer with bludgeoning force.
But this wasn't a boxing match and life, as precious as we all know it is, came down and leveled us with a punishing sucker punch. We lost Adam today and those of us that knew him, or didn't even have to know him, will shed a tear and say a prayer today.
Adam Frey, we will miss you buddy. You fought the good fight and went down swinging the entire way. You'll be missed by everyone.
From all of us at USA Wrestling and around the wrestling community around the country and the world … you touched so many lives, your memory and foundation will touch many more.
From the Adam Frey Foundation Facebook Group
Subject: ADAM FREY is at peace
I am sorry to inform everyone that Adam passed this afternoon, I was told he was not in pain when he left us. I want to thank everyone for supporting him in his battle and if you would like to leave a message of support for the Frey family please do on his blog. Thank you everyone I know it meant everything to Adam.
Josh Liebman (www.adamfrey.us)
Read More#
2025 CLAW U.S. Open, with 4,400 entries already, to light up Las Vegas, April 23-27; Still time to register in all 14 tournaments
USA Wrestling breaks membership record, surpasses 345K members
USA Wrestling PIN ratings released for 2025 U.S. Marine Corps Women’s National Championships
Romney (athlete), Ferrari (newcomer) and Erisman (coach) receive 2024-25 Pac-12 Wrestling Awards
