Former North Henderson, Edneyville wrestling standout dies at 49

Former North Henderson High and Edneyville High wrestling standout James Short died April 29 at Spartanburg Medical Hospital in Spartanburg, South Carolina, following complications from a stroke he suffered two years ago.

He was 49.

Short made the state tournament all four years of his high school career, and in his senior year in 1994, he won a state title and led North to its only team state title. Strong and Courageous Wrestling Club founder Norman Osteen told the Times-News on May 2 that Short was his first-ever member of the club.

But to Osteen, Short was much more than just one of his wrestlers.

"He was like a son to me," Osteen said. "I met him when he was a freshman at Edneyville High School. I had a group of kids who were really tough who were like the founding fathers of Strong and Courageous, but he was like George Washington. He was the man."

Short earned a wrestling scholarship to Clemson University in 1994 and stayed there briefly before transferring to Purdue University, according to his obituary from Jackson Funeral Service. He then went on to wrestle at Gardner-Webb University, where he was inducted into the college's hall of fame in 2017.

After Gardner-Webb, he was recruited by the United States Army to compete as a member of the World Class Athlete program and participated in the U.S. Olympic trials in 2000. His bid for the 2004 Games was cut short, though, as he was recalled to active duty and served two tours as a member of Operation Iraqi Freedom, his obituary said.

When he returned to the United States after his service, he lived in Denver, Colorado, before moving to Gaffney, South Carolina in 2021. At the time, his nephew and niece (Dylan short and Gracie Short) were wrestlers at his alma mater, North Henderson.

Longtime North coach Heang Uy said Short was an inspiration to him in his high school days of wrestling.

"I wrestled with James in the Strong and Courageous Wrestling Club. His brother, Steven, and I were the same age and James was older. I was always in awe of James because he was by far the best wrestler in the club, but he was also always kind and humble. I wanted to wrestle like James but also wanted to lead like James," Uy told the Times-News on May 1.

Uy said he was able to visit with Short a few years ago when Short was still living in Colorado.

"I got to see him operate his team-building obstacle course business. He was exactly the same — encouraging, energetic and kind. James was the kind of person you wanted in your corner," Uy said.

A celebration of life service will be at 10 a.m. May 9 at Upward Christian Fellowship, 991 Upward Road in Flat Rock. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Strong and Courageous Foundation to provide developmental programming scholarship opportunities for future generations of wrestlers.

More: How North Henderson girls' wrestling team forged bonds that led to state championship

More: North Henderson's Short siblings following in wrestling footsteps of their legendary uncle

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Former North High standout and Gardner-Webb Hall of Famer dies at 49