I am currently 27 years old from Kansas City Missouri, currently training out of Minneapolis Minnesota, wrestling 66kg (145.5 lbs) for Team USA and Minnesota Storm, U.S National team member and Olympic hopeful.
Early years
I've been wrestling competitively for twenty years, but I first stepped on the mat at age 5 and haven't looked back since. My dad, Ronnie Graham, first got me into wrestling. He wrestled on Park Hill's first wrestling team in 1967. My twin brother Eric and I first started wrestling for West Platte youth wrestling club in 1995. The following year in 1996, Eric and I wrested each other in the Missouri State Championship finals. Within the next few years, we switched wrestling teams and began wrestling for Park Hill youth. My coach at Park Hill, Jason Keck, taught me a lot and really helped me bring my wrestling game to the next level. As a result, I ended up being paired against my twin brother in the state finals again in 1999. Finishing out my youth wrestling career, Coach Keck helped me to achieve two more Missouri State titles and multiple national placings.
High School
Entering high school, I naturally wrestled for the same high school my dad competed for years ago. I wrestled for Coach Bill Erneste and Mike Tuck at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, MO. I ended up taking 3rd place as a freshmen at the 112 pound weight class and helping my team win its first team state championship since 1981. That summer, I competed at Cadet Greco Nationals (freshmen/sophomore division) in Fargo, North Dakota and placed 7th. Once I became an All American in 2003, I fell in love with the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling. In 2004, as a sophomore, I finished out the high school season with 5th place win at the 130 pound weight class and a 3rd place finish in the team race. That summer I competed at Cadet Nationals again but in the freestyle division and placed 5th. I also earned my second All American status. I was disappointed with the way I finished my sophomore year, missing my shot at another state championship. Luckily for me, in 2005 Coach Ryan Campbell was added to the Park Hill coaching staff. Coach Campbell would work with me after practice, helping me sharpen my skills and getting extra in workouts. I ended my junior year becoming a State Champion with a fall in the the first period in 45 seconds at the 140 pound weight class. That same year we won another Team State Championship. That summer, I received another All American title at the Junior Greco Nationals (junior/senior division) in Fargo, North Dakota. My senior year in 2006 I won my second State Championship at the 145 pound weight class and helped with a third team title in my high school career. I ended my high school career ranked as one of the top wrestlers in the country. If it weren't for Coach Tuck who always worked with me on honing my skills, Coach Erneste for always motivating me when times got tough, and Coach Campbell staying with me after practice and getting in extra workouts, I wouldn't be the wrestler I am today.
College
In 2006 I signed with Dana College, a small NAIA school just off a national championship. I started as a true freshman in 2007 for Dana College, wrestling in the 141 pound weight class. In 2008, I transferred to Missouri Valley College wrestling for Coach Mike Machholz and Coach Pat Giangrosso. My first season with Missouri Valley I finished 2nd at the NAIA nationals becoming a college All American as a sophomore. After the NAIA Nationals, I competed at University Nationals placing 6th in Greco. The following year, I ended up tearing my MCL in the semi finals at nationals. Knowing a team title was on the line, I still competed despite an injury and took 6th place earning my second All American status. My senior year, in 2010, I was plagued with injuries the whole season. I re-injured an old injury the first round at NAIA nationals and ended up getting beat out of the tournament.
Greco-Roman Senior level
After getting beat out at nationals in 2010 and never getting a chance to wrestle in the NAIA finals again because of injuries, I knew I wanted to continue competing. I wanted to wrestle Greco-Roman because of the success I had in high school as a Greco wrestler. With the help of Coach Machholz, I started competing at the Senior level. I wrestled in a few competitions not having any luck and lacking certain skills needed to be successful. In 2012, Coach Machholz talked to Greco USA Wrestling Head Coach Steve Fraser about the possibility of me coming to the Olympic Training Center (OTC) after graduating college. He agreed, but I would only be brought in as a facility user. After graduation, I packed my car with all my belongings and moved to Colorado Spring, Colorado. Before I left Missouri Valley College, Coach Machholz informed me about how hard it was starting out as a senior level athlete in the wrestling world. He told me he had the same conversation with former Missouri Valley senior level wrestlers who embarked on the same journey I was about to start on; but he also said if I stuck with it, I was capable of performing as well as Carissa Chun and Nate Engel who became quite successful in their senior level wrestling careers. He warned me the journey would start out rough; I will be poor, it will be hard, but don't give up! He told me to "stay the course", and that is a phrase I have lived by since that day. I moved to Colorado, with what little money I had, and stayed with Nate Engel while training as a facility user at the OTC. I was in Colorado Springs for five months; the toughest five months of my life. Re-learning how to wrestle Greco was one battle, living off about $400 a month was a whole other battle. I officiated youth wrestling tournaments as my only source of income and was scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to pay bills and have enough money to eat every month. At one point, I had only twenty dollars in my bank account. On top of being broke, I felt like I wasn't getting any better in the wrestling room. During those five hard months, there were many times I wanted to do the easy thing by giving up and moving home to find a job. But I always came back to the words Coach Machholz said, "its going to be tough but stay the course." So I kept fighting in practice and I kept losing but I continued to show up to two practices everyday. Even with my determination, I came to the conclusion that the OTC wasn't the right training facility for me.
I flew to Minnesota to compete in the Minnesota Storm Cup. My wrestling was decent but still lacked the technique to place. I met with Jordan Holm and Jake Fisher, two world team members who were training in Minnesota. They saw me wrestle and both thought I had what it took to win. They talked me into moving to Minnesota to train with Minnesota Storm. I would have the opportunity to earn a stipend and be coached by two legendary coaches, Coach Dan Chandler and Coach Brandon Paulson. Coach Dan Chandler was a 3x Olympian and Brandon Paulson was a World and Olympic Sliver medalist. I told Jordan I was in and I made the move to Minnesota in March of 2013. My living and training situation was still rough, but I continued doing what I needed to pay the bills. I was working odd but high labored jobs trying to make ends meet while still training full time. I still was barely scrapping by. Trying to figure out how to make ends meet, I considered applying for food stamps but I couldn't follow through with it. I would make it work another way.
That year, with work from Coach Chandler and Coach Paulson, I beat a previous teammate from the OTC for 3rd place at the U.S. Open. I was virtually a nobody, not yet ranked on the Greco U.S. Olympic ladder. Since I took 3rd, I earned tournament winnings which would help ease my financial burden for the next few months. Blue Chip later made me Brian Graham Wrestling shirts I could sell to help support myself while training. I ended the 2013 season taking 5th at World Team Trials. Once the competitive season had ended for the summer, I went back to Missouri to visit my family and had no source of income. With only $120 to my name, I knew I had enough money to drive back to Minnesota and find a job. The next day, Jordan called and informed me I earned a monthly stipend. This meant I could train and not have to worry where the money for my next meal would come from. Now I could continue to follow my dreams! With my monthly stipend in hand, I continued to get better and train harder. The following year in 2014 I took 5th at the US Open and lost a heart breaking match in the semifinals at the World Team Trials and ended up with 5th. Most recently, I took 3rd at the 2015 U.S. Open/ Word Team Trials and earned a spot as a U.S. National Team member. This has been a huge accomplishment for me before an Olympic year and has also earned me an additional stipend from USA Wrestling. I also was recently hired at Dicks Sporting Goods in the Contender Program which gives Olympic hopefuls the opportunity to work flexible hours while training. Wrestling for Minnesota Storm has really been a dream come true. I get paid to wrestle and I have the opportunity to travel the world. I've competed in several countries like Iran, Croatia, and Finland. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to compete at such a high level. My story just goes to show that if you "stay the course" and believe in yourself, good things will come if you work hard for them. I am hoping all my hard work will lead me to Rio in 2016!
Early years
I've been wrestling competitively for twenty years, but I first stepped on the mat at age 5 and haven't looked back since. My dad, Ronnie Graham, first got me into wrestling. He wrestled on Park Hill's first wrestling team in 1967. My twin brother Eric and I first started wrestling for West Platte youth wrestling club in 1995. The following year in 1996, Eric and I wrested each other in the Missouri State Championship finals. Within the next few years, we switched wrestling teams and began wrestling for Park Hill youth. My coach at Park Hill, Jason Keck, taught me a lot and really helped me bring my wrestling game to the next level. As a result, I ended up being paired against my twin brother in the state finals again in 1999. Finishing out my youth wrestling career, Coach Keck helped me to achieve two more Missouri State titles and multiple national placings.
High School
Entering high school, I naturally wrestled for the same high school my dad competed for years ago. I wrestled for Coach Bill Erneste and Mike Tuck at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, MO. I ended up taking 3rd place as a freshmen at the 112 pound weight class and helping my team win its first team state championship since 1981. That summer, I competed at Cadet Greco Nationals (freshmen/sophomore division) in Fargo, North Dakota and placed 7th. Once I became an All American in 2003, I fell in love with the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling. In 2004, as a sophomore, I finished out the high school season with 5th place win at the 130 pound weight class and a 3rd place finish in the team race. That summer I competed at Cadet Nationals again but in the freestyle division and placed 5th. I also earned my second All American status. I was disappointed with the way I finished my sophomore year, missing my shot at another state championship. Luckily for me, in 2005 Coach Ryan Campbell was added to the Park Hill coaching staff. Coach Campbell would work with me after practice, helping me sharpen my skills and getting extra in workouts. I ended my junior year becoming a State Champion with a fall in the the first period in 45 seconds at the 140 pound weight class. That same year we won another Team State Championship. That summer, I received another All American title at the Junior Greco Nationals (junior/senior division) in Fargo, North Dakota. My senior year in 2006 I won my second State Championship at the 145 pound weight class and helped with a third team title in my high school career. I ended my high school career ranked as one of the top wrestlers in the country. If it weren't for Coach Tuck who always worked with me on honing my skills, Coach Erneste for always motivating me when times got tough, and Coach Campbell staying with me after practice and getting in extra workouts, I wouldn't be the wrestler I am today.
College
In 2006 I signed with Dana College, a small NAIA school just off a national championship. I started as a true freshman in 2007 for Dana College, wrestling in the 141 pound weight class. In 2008, I transferred to Missouri Valley College wrestling for Coach Mike Machholz and Coach Pat Giangrosso. My first season with Missouri Valley I finished 2nd at the NAIA nationals becoming a college All American as a sophomore. After the NAIA Nationals, I competed at University Nationals placing 6th in Greco. The following year, I ended up tearing my MCL in the semi finals at nationals. Knowing a team title was on the line, I still competed despite an injury and took 6th place earning my second All American status. My senior year, in 2010, I was plagued with injuries the whole season. I re-injured an old injury the first round at NAIA nationals and ended up getting beat out of the tournament.
Greco-Roman Senior level
After getting beat out at nationals in 2010 and never getting a chance to wrestle in the NAIA finals again because of injuries, I knew I wanted to continue competing. I wanted to wrestle Greco-Roman because of the success I had in high school as a Greco wrestler. With the help of Coach Machholz, I started competing at the Senior level. I wrestled in a few competitions not having any luck and lacking certain skills needed to be successful. In 2012, Coach Machholz talked to Greco USA Wrestling Head Coach Steve Fraser about the possibility of me coming to the Olympic Training Center (OTC) after graduating college. He agreed, but I would only be brought in as a facility user. After graduation, I packed my car with all my belongings and moved to Colorado Spring, Colorado. Before I left Missouri Valley College, Coach Machholz informed me about how hard it was starting out as a senior level athlete in the wrestling world. He told me he had the same conversation with former Missouri Valley senior level wrestlers who embarked on the same journey I was about to start on; but he also said if I stuck with it, I was capable of performing as well as Carissa Chun and Nate Engel who became quite successful in their senior level wrestling careers. He warned me the journey would start out rough; I will be poor, it will be hard, but don't give up! He told me to "stay the course", and that is a phrase I have lived by since that day. I moved to Colorado, with what little money I had, and stayed with Nate Engel while training as a facility user at the OTC. I was in Colorado Springs for five months; the toughest five months of my life. Re-learning how to wrestle Greco was one battle, living off about $400 a month was a whole other battle. I officiated youth wrestling tournaments as my only source of income and was scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to pay bills and have enough money to eat every month. At one point, I had only twenty dollars in my bank account. On top of being broke, I felt like I wasn't getting any better in the wrestling room. During those five hard months, there were many times I wanted to do the easy thing by giving up and moving home to find a job. But I always came back to the words Coach Machholz said, "its going to be tough but stay the course." So I kept fighting in practice and I kept losing but I continued to show up to two practices everyday. Even with my determination, I came to the conclusion that the OTC wasn't the right training facility for me.
I flew to Minnesota to compete in the Minnesota Storm Cup. My wrestling was decent but still lacked the technique to place. I met with Jordan Holm and Jake Fisher, two world team members who were training in Minnesota. They saw me wrestle and both thought I had what it took to win. They talked me into moving to Minnesota to train with Minnesota Storm. I would have the opportunity to earn a stipend and be coached by two legendary coaches, Coach Dan Chandler and Coach Brandon Paulson. Coach Dan Chandler was a 3x Olympian and Brandon Paulson was a World and Olympic Sliver medalist. I told Jordan I was in and I made the move to Minnesota in March of 2013. My living and training situation was still rough, but I continued doing what I needed to pay the bills. I was working odd but high labored jobs trying to make ends meet while still training full time. I still was barely scrapping by. Trying to figure out how to make ends meet, I considered applying for food stamps but I couldn't follow through with it. I would make it work another way.
That year, with work from Coach Chandler and Coach Paulson, I beat a previous teammate from the OTC for 3rd place at the U.S. Open. I was virtually a nobody, not yet ranked on the Greco U.S. Olympic ladder. Since I took 3rd, I earned tournament winnings which would help ease my financial burden for the next few months. Blue Chip later made me Brian Graham Wrestling shirts I could sell to help support myself while training. I ended the 2013 season taking 5th at World Team Trials. Once the competitive season had ended for the summer, I went back to Missouri to visit my family and had no source of income. With only $120 to my name, I knew I had enough money to drive back to Minnesota and find a job. The next day, Jordan called and informed me I earned a monthly stipend. This meant I could train and not have to worry where the money for my next meal would come from. Now I could continue to follow my dreams! With my monthly stipend in hand, I continued to get better and train harder. The following year in 2014 I took 5th at the US Open and lost a heart breaking match in the semifinals at the World Team Trials and ended up with 5th. Most recently, I took 3rd at the 2015 U.S. Open/ Word Team Trials and earned a spot as a U.S. National Team member. This has been a huge accomplishment for me before an Olympic year and has also earned me an additional stipend from USA Wrestling. I also was recently hired at Dicks Sporting Goods in the Contender Program which gives Olympic hopefuls the opportunity to work flexible hours while training. Wrestling for Minnesota Storm has really been a dream come true. I get paid to wrestle and I have the opportunity to travel the world. I've competed in several countries like Iran, Croatia, and Finland. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to compete at such a high level. My story just goes to show that if you "stay the course" and believe in yourself, good things will come if you work hard for them. I am hoping all my hard work will lead me to Rio in 2016!
Notable wins:
-Islambek Albiev (Russia) 2008 Olympic Champion, 2009 World Champion, 2013 World Sliver medalist
-Ellis Coleman (USA) 2012 Olympican 2013 World Team member
-Joe Warren (USA) 2006 World Champion, Bellator World Champion
-Joe Betterman (USA) 2007 & 2011 World Team member
-Islambek Albiev (Russia) 2008 Olympic Champion, 2009 World Champion, 2013 World Sliver medalist
-Ellis Coleman (USA) 2012 Olympican 2013 World Team member
-Joe Warren (USA) 2006 World Champion, Bellator World Champion
-Joe Betterman (USA) 2007 & 2011 World Team member
I wrestle for the here and now, making my legacy for when I'm old and fat, looking back knowing I left all I had on the mat.