Wrestling Warehouse

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Steve Irwin was beloved for his wild life conservation, but did you know one of his other big passions was grappling?

Irwin would regularly train with his security guards in-between filming episodes of his hit TV show.

One of his security guards showed great potential and Irwin paid for him to fly out and train at . That security guard was and he would go on to become a UFC fighter and Australian MMA pioneer.

Rest in peace Steve Irwin. Jits Magazine

This Is The Way ✨

Dear Freshman College Wrestler,

There are guys on the team who are cool, fun, talented, and tough, but they will never see a varsity match in their career. They are content just being associated with the team. They look the part, wear the shirt, speak the language, but they will never step on the mat. These guys are not your friends. Your friend is the 5th year senior, returning All-American, grown man that doesn’t know your name and doesn’t want to.

There were 14 guys in my recruiting class (most of which were on full scholarships) and only 2 of us didn’t quit. One was a walk-on from Michigan named Joe Schneider (who is now my brother-in-law) and me. Neither one of us were super stars in high school and neither of us were lighting up the college wrestling room. The reason we survived was not because of our ability to elevate ourselves to the college level, but because of our inability to escape it.

Joe was an outsider and wasn’t there to make new friends. He didn’t fit in and didn’t care. He was hundreds of miles away from home, had arrived at his new destination, and had burned his boat. He gave himself no other choice but to make the team, and he did.

I got picked by a senior, returning National Runner-Up as his work out partner. He beat me every single day worse than I had ever been beat in my life. It took everything I had just to drill with him. And at the end of every practice he would say, “You be here tomorrow.” And so I did, until I was one of the only ones left.

Did we get better, and tougher? Absolutely. But the only reason we didn’t quit like the rest is because it was never an option. In our minds, we had no choice.

If your dream was to earn a scholarship and become a college athlete, congratulations! But if you are planning on competing at the college level, it’s time to make some new friends. It’s time to set some new goals. It’s time to break up with your last accomplishments. And it’s time to burn your boat.

Nate Gomez

Believe It. 🔥🔥🔥

Marcus Mollica - 2x NCAA champion, 4x All-American, and the PAC 12’s first 4x champion

Mollica was a 1991 graduate of the Ohio powerhouse, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit.

He went undefeated his final two seasons of high school, capturing Ohio state titles in 1990 and 1991.

He was also a High School National Champion and a freestyle Junior National Champion.

After high school, he headed to Arizona State to wrestle for legendary coach and Ohio native Bobby Douglas.

As a freshman, Mollica won the 1993 NCAA championship, defeating Josh Robbins of Penn State in the 1993 NCAA finals.

In doing this, he became just the 13th freshman to ever win a Division 1 national wrestling title and the first freshman to win the Pac-10.

The next year, he ended up in what is now considered the most loaded bracket in NCAA wrestling history.

The weight class included eventual 4x National Champ Pat Smith, eventual 3x National Champ Joe Williams, and a slew of wrestlers who are household names in the wrestling world today.

In total, the bracket produced 10 individual titles and 5 current Division 1 head coaches.

Mollica dropped his semifinal match 6-5 to Sean Bormet (now Michigan’s head coach) and ended up taking 5th.

The following year, he moved up a weight and won another national championship.

This time, he defeated returning national champion Mark Branch of Oklahoma State.

Mollica finished 4th in his senior year, ending his career as a 4x All-American, 2x NCAA champion, and the first 4x Pac-10 champion.

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