Love has multiple meanings for different people, but for wrestling head coach Dave Grant, there is one that sticks out.
The Northern Star was able to talk with Grant in the middle of a busy week for the program to discuss his start into wrestling, his time at Northern Iowa and what brought him to NIU.

Northern Star: What made you get into wrestling?
Dave Grant: My next door neighbor was a good friend of mine and he was involved in it. He dragged me into it and I fell in love with it from there.

NS: What made you fall in love with it?
DG: I liked the aspects of the win or lose based on what you do. I also like the fact that you’re out there and you’re doing it and everybody’s watching you. The individual sport of it all. It comes down to you and what you do. I liked the aggressive nature of the sport.

NS: While at the University of Kentucky, how did you feel when you heard that they were dropping the wrestling program?
DG: I was mad. The lack of opportunity for me. It was the only Division I wrestling program in the state. You have to move and go somewhere else. It just didn’t seem very fair to me. I think there were six Division I volleyball programs in the state and they just can’t keep one wrestling program?

NS: What made you choose Northern Iowa as the school to transfer to?
DG: Between Tennessee, Hofstra, Northern Iowa and Syracuse, they were the most serious about wrestling at the time and they had a large fan base. They were a pretty good team too. They had four returning All-Americans that year.

NS: How do you think the University of Minnesota helped you progress as a coach?
DG: I was coaching with a lot of good wrestlers. There were probably eight guys in that coaching staff that were very experienced. J. Robinson had coached at Iowa and he had pretty advanced ways and training programs. I learned a lot in the 10 years that I was there. We were able to build a big fan base there. It was an exciting time as we took that program over when it wasn’t very good.

NS: What made you choose NIU?
DG: The job opened up and at the time, Northern was in a really bad state as far as wrestling. It could have been the weakest Division I program in the country when I took it over. The challenge and the thought that we could take this to great heights was exciting. It’s a great university and it’s close to Chicago. It’s in the middle of the country and you could recruit in seven or eight states and not have to go that far. In the 500-mile radius you can get some of the best wrestling in the country as far as high schools.

NS: After going 4-9 in your first season, did you ever think that you might be in over your head?
DG: It was a little different. My first year was very difficult to even get wrestlers to visit the campus. You get a couple breaks, you get a couple of guys, you build your program and then it makes it easier to get the next wrestler. It was tough and we didn’t really have a wrestling room, but you’ve got to roll your sleeves up and get to work. I’m really happy that I did it. It was a great challenge and it continues to be a good challenge for me.

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