WARRIOR

Michael Brown had a solid, though unspectacular, career as a wrestler at Noble High School. He was a two-time state finisher with a combined record of 59-17 his junior and senior seasons. But even if Brown had been a four-time state champion, he knew at a young age where his life was headed after high school.

"I was going to enlist before anything else," Brown said. "I liked wrestling and wanted to wrestle, but I just knew being in the military is what I wanted to do first. From the time I was little, joining the military was just something I wanted to do. I got into football and wrestling, but it just seemed like nothing else compared to the military. The sense of duty, the overwhelming sense I had for that, just made me do it."

"I liked wrestling and wanted to wrestle, but I just knew being in the military is what I wanted to do first. From the time I was little, joining the military was just something I wanted to do."

Now a senior wrestling at heavyweight for Oklahoma, Brown is on the cusp of completing both quests.

After graduating high school, Brown enlisted in the Navy and went to Corpsman school. He had a choice of becoming a Navy Corpsman or a (greenside) Marine Navy Corpsman. A Navy Corpsman provides care to Navy and Marine Corps members primarily at hospitals. Brown instead chose to become a greenside Corpsman and joined the Fleet Marine Force. He worked at the School of Infantry for two years, then was assigned to a fleet for deployment.

Brown prefers to not go in-depth on his military experiences. He is not a man who simply shares war stories. He chooses his audience carefully.

"Just those I’m close with, those who are interested and sincerely care," said Brown, who served in Afghanistan for four months. "I’m not really into the type of person who just wants to hear a quick story and then go off to the rest of their day, you know. Those who are close to me, who I know and trust and actually are interested to hear about it, I’ll share with them."

Suffice to say, Brown chose a demanding path.

A retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel with 27 years of experience shared the following blog with Internet readers: "Being a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman is some pretty serious stuff. … You must be physically fit, be willing to risk your life for the Marines who depend on you, and highly proficient in the field of emergency medicine. … If you are attached to infantry, you will doing 20-mile field marches, sleeping in a foxhole, crapping in a hole that you dug, and taking care of foot blisters (maybe your own), broken arms, twisted limbs, during your rest breaks. This is during training. Point is, you must be (in) sufficient physical shape to keep up or the Marine Corps will send you back to the Navy for Hospital room duty.

"In combat, the situation is even worse. Not only do you have to keep up with your unit, you must also be prepared to administer life-saving medical aid to wounded, and sometimes, dying Marines while being shot at yourself. Your future as an FMF Corpsman is one that fear must be set aside to take care of the wounded by exposing yourself to possible death. It is both mental and physical. Something that you must consider beyond the apparent glory of the idea."

After completing his term of service, Brown seriously considered re-enlisting. This time, however, wrestling won his heart.

"I had to make up my mind whether I would stay or go wrestle while I was still somewhat young," Brown said. "I talked to people and finally came to the conclusion to wrestle while I still could. I was 23 at the time. (With) another enlistment, I’d be 27 and that’s pretty late to get into college wrestling."

Brown returned to Oklahoma and approached the wrestling program at Oklahoma City University, the only school to have shown an interest in Brown out of high school.

Wrestling at heavyweight (up to 285 pounds) as a 24-year-old freshman, Brown placed third at the 2012 NAIA Championships and earned All-American status.

"I kind of surprised myself," Brown said. "I was having a really good day. I wrestled hard. The guy I got beat by in the semifinals, I got over it and right back in the game. I was happier with the matches after my loss than I was with the ones before, just because of getting my head back on and finishing out rather than kind of checking it in and cashing out. I was really happy about not getting too mentally shook up after the loss and being able to stay in it and win out."

As a sophomore, OCU coach Archie Randall made Brown cut down and wrestle at 197 pounds. "It was the worst four months of my life," Brown said. "My body just never level off there. I never got the weight down to where I was floating 5-10 pounds over it. Monday morning after a tournament, I’d be at 217. That was pretty miserable."

I’ve surely had great success with athletes who were in the military first and had come to school, and he (Brown) is no exception.
OU Head Coach Mark Cody

A disgruntled (and starving) Brown sought a transfer to OU. "They knew I was right there, ready for better workout partners and a better environment," Brown said.

Sooners coach Mark Cody had seen a competitive Brown in OU’s matches against OCU. Brown also had spent time at the Sooners’ summer freestyle camp. "They didn’t really have much going on at OCU during the summer and I was looking for somebody to work out with," Brown said. "When I had the gas money, I would come down here (OU) and work out with these guys."

Convinced Brown could handle the transition to Division I, Cody welcomed the new arrival. Only later did Cody learn of Brown’s military service. "Until he had come here, I didn’t ever realize all the things he had been through," Cody said.

While coaching at American University (2002-11), Cody had wrestlers who previously served in the military.

"I used to say it’d be nice if everybody could go to the military for a couple of years and then come to college," Cody said. "I’ve surely had great success with athletes who were in the military first and had come to school, and he (Brown) is no exception. I had a couple of guys (at American University) who were both Navy SEALS. Then I had a couple more guys who, once they graduated, decided to become Navy SEALS because of those guys."

Cody said Brown carries all those same traits, and also carries a good sense of humor. "The guys get a kick out of him," Cody said of Brown. "He’s a very friendly guy. He’ll do anything for anybody. He’s a great teammate, a great guy to have on the team."

Brown will turn 27 on Jan. 18. His maturity level is why Cody has had Brown address the team, and also individually. The subject matter includes wrestling, but is mostly about life experiences. "The younger guys realize what he’s saying and I think that’s why they also treat him with such respect," Cody said. "Everybody loves him."

As is often the case with those who served in the military, Brown emphasizes being appreciative for what people have and their way of life.

"Exactly," Brown said. "This is a great place to be. This is a good part of life they’re getting to experience right now. Things aren’t always going to be this way in their life. One day they’re going to have to work an 8-to-5 job every day and they’re going to miss that high level of competition. They’re going to miss the great shape they were in and the lifestyle."

Brown said he is closest to heavyweight Ross Larson and 197-pound redshirt sophomore Brad Johnson, primarily because they often work out against each other.

"I love simply being a part of this team, being there to help guys up... I try to think of a few, but thoughtful, words to share and try to help them as young men."

"He’s definitely one of the nicest people I’ve ever met," said Larson, an NCAA qualifier as a redshirt freshman last season. "He’s someone who would do anything for you, go out of his way to help you."

Larson admitted feeling the age difference between him and Brown at first, but that has since melted away. "He’s one of my good buddies. Age doesn’t really play a part anymore," Larson said. "We’ll go to the cafeteria, sit down and finish our meal, and we’ll still be sitting there an hour later talking about random stuff. He’s told a couple of (military) stories here and there, but it’s not something he really likes to talk about."

Brown admits it’s rewarding to be considered a team leader in just his second year. "That’s huge," Brown said. "I love simply being a part of this team, being there to help guys up. I know they listen when I speak to them. I try to think of a few, but thoughtful, words to share and try to help them as young men because I feel like I can relate to them in almost every situation. I’ve been married, deployed, divorced. I can relate to them about family issues. I can relate to them on a lot of different levels."

Brown went 5-0 as a junior last season, most of which was spent trying to recover from an injury. "I broke my collarbone on a dirt bike (Aug. 1, 2013). I broke it pretty good," Brown said. "It was frustrating watching everybody else wrestle while I’d run or do lower-body stuff. It took a long time to heal and then it never healed right. We were at 10 months, and I thought it was broke again. We got it X-rayed. We waited too long on that, so we had to go with what we had. I had to wear this bone-growth stimulating machine for a while. We’re back on the right track now and I’ve been going all-out."

What challenge awaits Brown when he leaves OU?

"I’ll probably apply to the OKCPD (Oklahoma City police department)," Brown said. "I never really thought I would, but I talked to some current policemen and it just sounded like a good deal."

From the Fleet Marine Force to the local police force. "Whatever he decides to do," Larson said, "there’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to be really good at it."