Rick Brunot enters the Youngstown State University Athletics Hall of Fame as a wrestler, but there are many fans who would dispute whether he isn't more deserving of entrance more so as a football player instead. Either way, the name Brunot was a mainstay on the rosters of both the football and wrestling programs at YSU in the early 1980's.
A native of Conneaut, Ohio, he wrestled and played football scholastically, arriving at Youngstown State University in time to start his collegiate career on the gridiron in 1980. Like fellow teammate John Goode who enters the Hall tonight as well, Brunot played for the Penguins from 1980-83, earning four letters on the gridiron. He wrestled all but one season due to an injury, earning three letters on the mat for the Penguins as well and when the buzzer had sounded on his collegiate career, he had earned seven letters along the way.
The football squad posted a 19-24-0 overall mark with Brunot serving as an anchor on the offensive line that produced three of the top eight individual game rushing performances (they were all done by running back and YSU Hall of Famer Paris Wicks), and his performance collegiately earned him tryouts with both the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos of the National Football League.
But as respected as he was on the football field, he commanded double the respect by both teammates and foes when he wrestled. His first season he played for the well-respected Penguin mat mentor Norm Palovcik, helping the Penguins to a 17-5 overall mark, earning Division II All-America honors.
He didn't wrestle as a sophomore due to an injury, and returned to competition in time for the 1983 season as a junior. He wrestled his final two seasons under Bruce Hinkle, the team posting a 9-8 and 3-16-1 overall ledger, but during that time as a senior, captured the Division II Heavyweight crown with a 4-0 mark at George Mason University, improving to 24-1 on the season. He advanced to the Division I meet, splitting his pair of matches and earned All-America status as well. The action was held in East Rutherford, N.J., at the Brendan Byrne Arena in The Meadowlands.
He was as hard-nosed on the mat as he was on the gridiron, yet any coach that has ever had him will say one thing. His dedication to the sport that he currently participates is second to none.
The unique thing about the Brunot name is that brother Doug also played football and wrestled for the Penguins while sister Cindy was a member of both the YSU basketball and softball squads during her collegiate career.
