Marcus Myers has been pinned twice, lost by two technical falls and a major decision. Not exactly the most illustrious college wrestling career. However, Myers has the support of the entire wrestling team behind him – regardless if he wins or loses in a dual meet.
“When Marcus wrestles, everyone on the team is on the edge of the mat,” Oregon wrestling coach Chuck Kearney said of the senior. “It’s about the competing. He’s not out there wrestling to be a national champion, he’s not wrestling to be a Pac-10 champion. He’s out there wrestling because he saw a need and he wanted to contribute.”
Wins don’t matter and aren’t expected of the senior from Beaverton who wrestled at Southridge High School; Myers walked on to the team because he figured he’d be better than a forfeit.
Since sophomore Brysen French has been unable to compete for the Ducks since December due to injury, Oregon was forced into one of two choices for dual meets: either forfeit French’s 184-pound weight class, or shuffle the other Ducks around.
Sophomore Ron Lee wrestled at the 184-pound class twice, winning both matches; however, that wasn’t an ideal situation for the rest of the season. Kearney asked his wrestlers to try and find anyone interested in stepping in at 184 pounds; junior Shaun Dee knew somebody to talk to – his roommate and close friend, Myers.
“After a while of not having a full lineup the team got down on itself,” Dee said. “Finally the coach went around asking if anyone knew anyone, and I live with Marcus. I said ‘Hey Marcus, do you want to wrestle for UO? Do you want to be a college wrestler?’ and he had the balls to do it.”
Myers wasn’t quite re-thinking his decision after the first practice, but came away in awe of the dedication and level of fitness college wrestling required.
“I took three or four breaks,” Myers said. “It was killer.
“Our first run was two or three miles sprinting around the top of Mac Court, and it’s just a completely different level.”
Myers said his family has been incredibly supportive of the decision, and that he has improved his stamina and technique leaps and bounds over the nearly six weeks he’s been in the wrestling room.
Besides avoiding an automatic forfeit, Kearney said Myers has been a boon to the team’s morale.
“He’s been a real infusion of positive energy,” Kearney said. “When he comes in and says he’s better than a forfeit, there’s a freshness to it from my perspective.” Unlike somebody coming off the end of the bench in a football or basketball game, a wrestler is under intense scrutiny because of the one-on-one nature of the sport, Kearney said.
“Every time he steps out in front of the crowd to wrestle, he knows that he’s against all odds. But he steps out and wrestles anyway,” Kearney said.
Kearney said Myers was reluctant to be honored along with the other Oregon seniors at the final home match against Oklahoma State on Feb. 8. However, Kearney insisted – because what he’s done has earned the coaches’ and wrestlers’ respect.
“I don’t think he really realizes at this point in his life how much respect we in this program have for him,” Kearney said.
“Marcus is a courageous dude,” Dee said. “Regardless of what he did, he’ll come out victorious.”
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