Wrestling has been in NIU head coach Dave Grant‘s life for 30 years and come March, he will be done coaching.

Grant, who announced his retirement in April, has been at the head of the wrestling team since 1996 and couldn’t be more enthused about his final year.

“I feel great,” Grant said. “You’re more enthusiastic toward what you’re doing, you get to spend more time in the wrestling room working with the guys, and you don’t have to do as much with the office work.”

With assistant coaches Ryan Ludwig and Dominick Moyer taking over recruiting duties, Grant has the time to actually concentrate on the hands-on aspect of his job.

“I’m just concerning myself for what will impact us this year and not looking any further ahead,” Grant said. “I feel fortunate that I’m in a position to retire and I’ve got such quality upperclassmen in our program.”

One of those upperclassmen and two-time NCAA qualifier Bryan Deutsch.

Deutsch said he is thankful for his coach and sees how he has transformed the program from what it used to be.

“He gave me the opportunity to wrestle at Division I coming out of high school, and I think there was only one other Division I program that even said hello to me,” Deutsch said. “He helps everyone, and it was nice to have a wrestling coach all five years, which I know a lot of kids don’t get in other programs. Hopefully we can send him out on a high note.”

Prior to Grant’s first season at NIU in 1996, there had never been two All-Americans in the same season, an All-American repeat, a MAC championship since 1985 or a wrestling room.

Grant achieved it all.

The one thing that sticks out for him along with his grapplers is that he was able to get the team its own room after they shared one with gymnastics for the first 12 years of his reign.

Even with all of his success, Grant acknowledged how hard of a position he has held especially with recruiting.

“We’re in the middle of the Big Ten and you have to work extremely hard getting recruits,” Grant said. “A lot of the guys that we get are diamonds in the rough, and you have to work with them to make them great. I always felt like our wrestlers really went the extra mile.”

In the end, Grant will have his place in NIU history as the second most winningest coach in wrestling and has currently sent 31 wrestlers to 38 NCAA appearances.

After wrestling at Northern Iowa, being the assistant coach at Minnesota for 10 years and being the head coach with the Huskies, Grant just wants some relaxation.

“I’ve been coaching for 25 years, and I’ve been in college athletics since 1980,” Grant said. “You know when it’s time, and I’d like to have a slower lifestyle and be able to sit back and enjoy life a little bit. This works for me and I feel comfortable with the decision.”