STATE CHAMPIONS
1989 - 1990 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 2002 - 2004
STATE RUNNER-UP
1994 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2003 - 2012
​219 All-State Wrestlers
​63 State Champions
Mat Jones (HEAD COACH)
Coach Jones was born in Texas and raised in a military family which led to him and his family to Huntsville, AL. He began his wrestling career with Tiger Youth Wrestling in the fifth grade. Coach Jones is a Grissom High School graduate from the class of 2005. At Grissom, he played football, hockey, and wrestled for the Tigers. After graduation, Coach Jones earned two bachelors’ degrees in Business Administration and Supply Chain Management with a minor in History from University of Alabama in Huntsville. Coach Jones served in the United States Army as an Infantryman for eight years, with multiple overseas deployments. During his enlistment, he continued his love of sport playing Rugby for many Joint Service squads, as well as earning a position on the Empire State Selects team. At his time at Fort Drum, NY, Coach Jones joined the 10th Mountain wrestling club and rotated with the Fort Drum Hockey team. Having found his love for teaching his junior soldiers, Coach Jones pursued his teaching certification in Business Education once he separated from the Army.
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Coach Jones will be entering his fourth season as an assistant football coach at Grissom, and has also been an assistant coach for Grissom wrestling for 2020 season and 2021 season. He is honored to be returning to the organization that taught him many life lessons, that still remain to this day.
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“Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight. I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.” – 3rd Stanza of the Ranger Creed
Eric Knytych (ASSISTANT COACH)
Coach Knytych is the assistant varsity wrestling coach at Grissom High School. He is a graduate of Arab High School, where he wrestled, played football and baseball. After high school Coach Knytych attended The University of South Alabama, where he played baseball and majored in international business . After college he joined the Army as an infantryman. During his time in the Army, he competed in grappling and jujitsu tournaments. He has several nutrition and sports training certifications and has coached many amateur and professional athletes in strength and conditioning while specializing in weight cutting. He has competed as a professional powerlifter at 220lbs since 2016, reaching 27th in the world in 2019, with 1700lb total. He has a beautiful wife Rachel and 4 children, Jaxson who wrestles and plays football at Grissom, Allie Reed, Loxley, and Jack.
Durell Robinson (ASSISTANT COACH)
Coach Robinson is the JV/Freshman wrestling coach at Grissom High School. He teaches Physical Education at Whitesburg Middle School, where he also coaches football. He fell in love with wrestling in the 8th grade as a member of the Brewbaker Middle School wrestling team. He felt that wrestling taught him various life lessons such a perseverance, hard work, and dedication. He wrestled at Jefferson Davis High School in Montgomery, AL. While in high school Coach Robinson qualify for the state wrestling tournament for three consecutive years, and placed once. He went on to wrestle at Marion Military Institute in Marion, AL under Jim and Dave Hazelwinkel where he qualified for the NCWA nationals and obtained his Associates of Science. While at Marion he discovered his passion for education and would later obtain his Bachelors of Science from Alabama A&M University. In his free time, he enjoys gaming, outdoor adventures, playing basketball and spending time with family.
“I am proud to be a part of the Grissom wrestling family. GO TIGERS!”
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Matthew Mann (ASSISTANT COACH)
Coach Mann is a Huntsvillian, native born and bred. He left Huntsville for about six years while he was in the Army where he had the opportunity to deploy around the world. During that time, he married his beautiful wife who is a veterinarian working in Madison, and they have a daughter and another baby on the way. Coach Mann graduated from UAH at the end of 2021 and joined the Grissom wrestling program for the 2022-23 season and looks forward to many more. Go Tigers!.”
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