Tragedies, Triumphs : Misfortunes Helped Pave Way for Titan Wrestler Grubbs

Fate has been a cruel friend to Michael Grubbs.

He won’t have that on his mind when he steps onto the mat Sunday in Boise, Ida., for the Pacific 10 Conference Wrestling Championships and tries to live up to his No. 1 ranking at 118 pounds.

And when he’s riding his opponents and looks into the crowd, he won’t see anything, in part because his vision is 20/400, in part because he only sees the NCAA Championships, in part because he is blinded by the light at the end of the tunnel.

His wrestling career is nearing an end. The real world awaits. The world Michael Grubbs was introduced to on Feb. 7, 1987.

That was when his father, John, 42, died of a gunshot wound, an incident Michael doesn’t like to discuss.

It happened while Grubbs, a senior at Cal State Fullerton, was wrestling at a high school tournament during his sophomore year at Oceanside El Camino High School. No one told him about it until after he wrestled--and won--the championship match.

“It brought me to reality,” Grubbs said. “It made me face life. When you’re so young, all you have to worry about is your friends and what clothes you’re going to wear. All of a sudden, I was in charge of making sure the bills were paid on time. It brought us closer together as a family. It made me realize that I have to start setting goals if I want to do something in life.”

Those goals have been achieved, mostly. He married his high school sweetheart, Brenda Cleary, seven months ago. He has a 4.0 grade-point average in his major, finance, and his 3.84 overall GPA earned him three consecutive Academic Athlete of the Year awards at Fullerton and two consecutive Big West Male Scholar-Athlete Awards. He was an Academic All-American in 1991.

But all that--the awards, the grades, the recognition--was made possible because of his family’s personal tragedy.

Finances were tight when he was young and the family benefited from three sons--Michio, John and Michael--dieting to make weight. Their father’s death benefits paid off the mortgage and most of the major bills, left a little for Grubbs’ mother, Mitsuko, and--in a real twist--helped Michael continue his education.

“If he hadn’t (died), I don’t think I would have gone to college,” he said. “I got a scholarship, but it wasn’t as much as I wanted.”

The scholarship only provided for books and tuition.

After winning three San Diego Section titles and finishing fifth, second and third in the State in his final three years of high school, he went to Fullerton. There, he intended to wrestle at 118 behind Erin Millsap, a junior who had been ranked 16th in the nation as a sophomore. But in September of Grubbs’ freshman year, Millsap died in a motorcycle accident.

Grubbs became the starter and compiled a 14-14 record and finished fourth at the conference championships.

“If I hadn’t wrestled my freshman year, I wouldn’t have had as much experience and I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am right now,” Grubbs said. “It accelerated my growth as a collegiate wrestler.”

He received a full scholarship his sophomore and junior seasons and compiled a record of 48-23-3, but like the program, he was a victim of budget cuts. He’s getting only enough to cover tuition this year, so when he’s not wrestling or studying, he works as a valet at a local restaurant. The owner of the valet service, Feargus McTaggart, is a former wrestler.

Wrestlers stick together.

“That made it easier on me,” Grubbs said. “He used to wrestle. I work whenever I can, but at most, I work 20 hours a week. Not too many people know what it takes. There are a lot of other sports that are hard, but you have to have a different attitude to wrestle. You can’t party on the weekend, you can’t eat whenever you want. There’s a lot of disappointment. You have to sacrifice a lot. Wrestlers understand dedication in any environment.”

Ardesgir Asgari, a former Titan wrestler and the school’s first-year head coach, is amazed by Grubbs’ work ethic.

“He’s so dedicated,” Asgari said. “Mike is one of the few guys to do a lot of running and weight training on his own. He comes into the room and practices 100%. He concentrates a lot more and it’s easy to see that.”

It has paid off so far. Grubbs (19-2) is ranked 12th nationally and recently avenged one of his two losses by defeating Fresno State’s Robbie Sordi, who was ranked ninth nationally. Grubbs was third in the Pac-10 as a sophomore and advanced to the NCAA Championships. He took fifth in the conference as a junior. But this is the year he has been pointing toward.

“I’ve been wrestling since I was in the fourth or fifth grade,” Grubbs said. “If I don’t do something this year, then it’s going to be like it was all for nothing. I’m working twice as hard as I did last year.”

He runs at least 12 miles a week. Every other night he lifts weights 30-40 minutes, and on off nights, he runs sprints.

“I try to give it 100% every time I do something,” Grubbs said. “If I don’t feel like I’m going to give it 100% when I run, I don’t run. You’re not going to get anything out of it if you don’t. Since this is my last year, I have to make everything count because after this, I’m done.

“I listen to my body. I don’t want to half-ass it, but with wrestling, if I don’t feel like it, I’ll still wrestle. That makes you tougher mentally. The wrestling is a must. I have to wrestle every day.”

That mental toughness developed early. He always wanted to surpass his older brothers. Michio was a two-time San Diego Section champion. John was a three-time section champ and two-time State champion. But neither accomplished what Michael has in college.

“I’ve been wrestling and training for a long time and I’m ready to relax,” Grubbs said. “It makes it easier to leave because I’ve had a good season--I don’t have as many regrets.

“Wrestling keeps me mentally sharp. In whatever I do, I’m intense. It gives me a strong will. When I have to do my physical work, I do it. When I have to study, I study. It gives me a ‘Don’t mess around’ attitude--just get the job done.”

The job is nearly done.