If that weren't enough, Matt Brown took two years out of his college career to serve on a mission in Africa for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Oh, and he got married.
If anyone so young had enough life experiences to put down in a memoir, it would be Matt Brown. He shares his impressive and varied life story in his new book "Mission: Accomplished: Reflections of an NCAA National Champion."
Meet Matt Brown
Brown was born in Utah, the youngest of six children, raised in an LDS (Mormon) household. He was introduced to wrestling at age four at a local youth program, then later joined Treehouse Athletic Club, more commonly referred to as TAC, which Brown describes as "a premier youth wrestling program." At Cypress High School outside Salt Lake City, Brown earned three Utah state titles. Despite that accomplishment -- and his equally impressive performance in the classroom -- Brown was not highly recruited. In fact, in an unofficial visit to Penn State while in the area for a family funeral, Brown was basically told by the previous coaching regime that they had all the talent they needed from Pennsylvania.
Matt Brown runs out onto the mat for his NCAA finals match (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)While still in high school, Brown was exploring the possibility of attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He had earned a coveted appointment from his congressman, and was impressed with the facilities and the idea of wrestling for Army. However, Brown still had a visit scheduled at Iowa State. After meeting then head coach Cael Sanderson, Brown decided he would put on the cardinal and gold of the Cyclones.
When Sanderson made his bombshell announcement in April 2009 that he had accepted the head coaching job at Penn State, Matt Brown was one of the wrestlers who followed Coach Cael to Happy Valley.
How the book came together
"Mission: Accomplished" takes readers through Matt Brown's life journey, with stops along the way in Utah, Iowa State, Penn State, and two years in sub-Saharan Africa on his LDS mission, providing a compelling, behind-the-scenes look at things most of us will never experience. That said, Brown's book is more than a traditional memoir. In fact, his own account of his life is just part of his book -- in fact, Part I of three parts. In Part II, Brown shares Principles of Success that he has acquired from multiple sources, most notably Cael Sanderson. Part III is titled Personal Application -- how Brown has implemented those success principles in his life on and off the mat.
Knowing all that, how did Matt Brown come to write his book?
"Throughout my college career, I learned a lot from Coach Cael," Brown told InterMat. "I thought there was a lot worth sharing with others who had not been blessed with that same experience.
"After winning the title, it seemed even more appropriate for me to put this down in a book. People like to hear from a winner. Winning a national championship gave me an audience which I didn't have before."
"Luckily I took notes like crazy throughout my college career which helped me put the book together."
"Before writing, I gave serious thought as to who my audience would be," Brown continued. "I didn't want to write just to Mormons or to married athletes, two aspects who define who I am. I hoped my book would speak to a general audience -- to multiple audiences, in fact."
"After I won the title, I started writing. I knew the story had a short shelf life, and I needed to get my book completed in a timely way. Needless to say I had a busy summer."
The ultimate do-it-yourself project
Matt Brown wrote with the goal of having a published book by the beginning of the 2015-16 college wrestling season -- a goal he achieved.
"I asked myself, 'How do I get the book out quickly?'"
Brown had the book published through Amazon, using their CreateSpace self-publishing division.
"I like working on home improvement projects," Brown disclosed. "Making sure things look good, come out the way I want them."
"I did the design -- how the inside pages would look, what the front cover would look like. The program made it easy for me to do this, but an author can choose to let Amazon do all that for them."
"My sister did the editing."
Matt Brown defeated Matt Wilps of Pitt in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"One reason I was grateful to be able to self-publish: sometimes, an editor might tell you to leave out a particular story, or urge you to emphasize something you may not want to highlight," according to Brown. "In addition, I wanted my own voice to come through. I didn't want to sound like I was bragging."
"Setting the right tone was a challenge for me."
This writer had to ask Brown if it was easy to write about his life.
"Despite academic achievements, I had struggles with reading and writing early in my life," Brown responded, mentioning that he was juggling the writing of his memoir with his coursework as he sought to complete his Master's degree. "It was gratifying to get my thoughts down on paper. Truly rewarding to be able to share my story."
"I'm grateful to have a story to tell, and for the chance to write it ... I had fun doing it."
What's next for Matt Brown?
"I ask myself, 'Now where do I go?'"
"I am interested in a career in national defense," Brown continued. "I could imagine myself being an analyst."
"I have some military training scheduled for February. That may shape my decision."
That said, Brown has not shut the door on continuing his wrestling career, telling InterMat that he is working out with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club in freestyle.
Whatever career path he takes, Matt Brown may have to write a sequel.
"Mission: Accomplished: Reflections of an NCAA National Champ" by Matt Brown is available in paperback direct from Amazon.
Enjoyed reading about this book? You might want to check out InterMat's article from earlier this month about wrestler Dan Russell's memoir "Finish Strong" ... and, from June 2014, "Faith and Wrestling" by Michael Fessler, former wrestler at Apple Valley High School and Cal State Bakersfield.
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