zone2poke
Deputy
Jordan beat Smith with his signature move, the “single-legged takedown,” a technique by which he dove low at his opponent’s knee, got his forearms locked around it, and then jerked upward while driving his head and shoulders forward, upending him. “He just pestered you,” Smith said. “If he didn’t finish it the first time, he’s coming at it three and four and five times.” The match ended with Smith floundering on his belly, like a fish.
That NCAA championship was the peak of Jordan’s career. Though he would win a repeat title and pursue an Olympic berth for three more years, he would ultimately fail. He was taken down by Smith, who spent his collegiate career studying Jordan and then swept him off the mat in the 1988 Olympic trials. “I just wasn’t good enough,” Jordan said. He started seeking a different career. At first it seemed it might be coaching.
