Max

Max at his best!

Max Curtis Hughes was born July 12, 1999 in Valentine, Nebraska. (the local radio station even announced that “a future state champ has been born!”)  Jon, Barb and an extremely proud big sister Baylee, welcomed Max home and their family was finally complete, they had their number 4.

From a very early age Max was very independent and energetic. He had very little time for snuggles or even to be held as there was surely a mud puddle that needed to be jumped into or a tree that needed to be climbed – much to his mother’s chagrin as he was usually at the very top – even at a young age he knew that’s where he wanted to be!  The family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska when Max was three and by the age of five, Max was knee-deep in the sport of wrestling. Max was successful from the very beginning and this is where we witnessed some of his best character traits, loyalty being one of them.    After moving to Syracuse, he loved to be part of the Meneely Wrestling Team, and later Brickhouse, but he was a full-blooded Syracuse Rocket!  He loved his teammates and coaches, Coach Goebel in wrestling and Coach Zig in cross country, all being extremely important to him.  After high school he carried on that loyalty to his Iowa Western family.  Max was very competitive in everything he did.  It didn’t matter if it was the Midwest Classic Wrestling Tournament or against his family on the way to the tournament playing one of the car-ride games, Max wanted to win; he hated to lose!

Max also paid attention to detail.  He wanted his technique to be flawless and this, like all his traits, carried over to his personal life, specifically with his appearance.  A self-proclaimed “pretty boy” he was so proud of his hair and was famous for cutting his own bangs, usually the night before family pictures.. this happened often!  He also wanted his clothes to be perfect and matching.  (this became easier after we found out that he was colorblind and not an aspiring rodeo clown).  We will miss the almost daily question “does this look good together?”  Max, we will tell you, you made everything look good together!  His competitive spirit was very beneficial in the sport of wrestling… usually the bigger the stage, the better Max performed.  He had epic matches in high school but he was most proud of his title match as a Freshman winning State in overtime and after a hard fought semi-finals win his Junior year.  Huskermat put out a tweet saying “Hughes may be the biggest gamer in this building, he is dominating!”  Max loved that!  Coach Goebel said it best when talking about Max, he said, “he would look me in the eyes and say, ‘I got this coach’ and he did.”  His accomplishments on the mat were historic; he was a four-time finalist and three-time champion with an overall record of 175-10, 131 of those coming by way of fall, but maybe the most impressive feat was being able to wrestle his senior year after a horrific break of his femur on his 18th birthday.  His competitive spirit and not wanting to let his teammates and coaches down pushed him along the way.  He may not have been in great wrestling shape that season, but he succeeded in getting back on the mat and we were so very proud of him!  

Max had a tough exterior but a heart that was full of love.  His love for animals was huge and it was not uncommon to have a baby rabbit or raccoon along with a kitten or two at our house that Max somehow came across on his journey that day.  He also loved his dogs Tate, Molly and Jake.  Max also had a love for shoes, most specifically sneakers, and he would buy and sell them, clean or just set them on the shelf and look at them.  Some may call this an obsession, maybe a passion, or just plain crazy but Max loved them!  Max also had a passion and a gift with helping the young wrestlers.  It was always fun to watch him and listen to how he would break things down for the kids that he was coaching.  We were always so proud of him and watching the eyes of the kids he was helping filled his dad’s heart.  Max also lived his life his own way.  Most kids go to college or just start working after high school but not Max, he chose to turn down numerous wrestling opportunities and scholarships to drive out to California because that’s where he felt he needed to be.  His plan was to gain state residency by living and working there for a year so he didn’t have to pay out-of-state tuition and then wrestle for Fresno State.  He always said he was glad that he did what he did because he loved the experience.  He was able to help Clovis North High School as an assistant wrestling coach and he worked at the local car wash where he met some of his good friends.

Max was a very passionate person who loved all who were in his circle.  His friends he always wanted to make sure they were good before himself.  His extended family, grandparents, aunts and uncles and especially that group of close-knit cousins meant the world to him.  And finally, us, his parents, Jon and Barb and Max’s biggest fan, sister Baylee, he loved more than words can say.  We will miss his quick wit, infectious smile and contagious laugh!  But as we’ve learned, we are all here on rent, nobody knows how long we have until we are called home.  Max was here for a very short time but in that amount of time he reached an extraordinary amount of people and we feel so blessed to be able to call him our champion for 21 years!  Two of Max’s favorite quotes in which he had tattooed, one on his chest and one on his bicep, the first is “Today you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, tomorrow is up to you,” and “When on a mission, idle time is your worst enemy.”  Thank you for reading about Max’s life and applying for his Wrestling Scholarship… Remember to live your life to the MAX and always, always buy the shoes!!