By Lucky Mather | [email protected]

This article is part of a continuous series that will highlight former high school athletes, where they are now, and how participating in high school athletics helped them to achieve their goals.  This edition is highlighting Marshall Grimm.

At Highland

Marshall Grimm played a variety of sports for Highland High from 2004 until his graduation in 2008. These included football, wrestling, and throwing for track and field.  Coming in as a freshman, Grimm was a transfer student from the West Valley/Kearns area and transferred so he could train with Paul Tate, then wrestling coach at Highland. Though he had the drive and the physicality necessary to compete, Grimm had some concerns about his future as a Highland Ram.

“I remember coming to Highland as a freshman transfer student, and I barely knew anyone at the school,” Grimm said. “I spent the summer practicing with the football team, and all my teammates made sure I felt welcomed and accepted not only on the football field but during my freshman year as well. This meant a lot to me because that transition was hard, especially without the help of my junior high friends.”

Grimm admits he didn’t always put forth his best effort on the field, but he credits his coaches and his experience at Highland for molding him into the individual he is today.

“Playing at Highland did help me decide on my life direction. Sports and family have always been the two most important parts of my life and identity,” he said. 

Through all he has accomplished since his days at Highland, Grimm is thankful for the coaches he had. During his time at Highland, Marshall was coached by Brody Benson (football), Paul Tate (wrestling), and Ted Sierer (track and field).    

“The coaches helped push me to be my best, not only in sports but in life as well,” Grimm said. “I didn’t always put forth the effort I should have, but the lessons they taught me have helped me become the man I am today. I can’t adequately express how grateful I am for their presence in my life.”

Post Highland

After graduation Grimm served for two years as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York City and Bermuda. Upon his return, he attended Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) where he earned an A.S. in psychology. He then continued his education at the University of Utah where he obtained two B.S. degrees in psychology, and human development and family studies.  

Lisa Lewis,  a long-time friend of Grimm’s, said, “I remember the first week of college with Marshall. He rolled up on a Harley bike with his hair dyed red (or pink, depending on who you ask. If you would have told me then that he would be the first of my friends to go on and get a Master’s degree and a PhD, I wouldn’t have believed you. He is the poster child of growing up.  I know he still has that motorcycle-riding, hair dying, side to him, but he has supplemented it with passion for his work and dedication towards his progression. I’m super proud of him and how far he has come over the years.”

Though Grimm never competed in sports at the university level, he does actively compete in powerlifting and the Scottish Highland games, which he compares to a strongman competition.

Grimm is currently attending Utah State University in Logan, and is well on his way in earning a Ph.D.  His field of study is researching how families interact and communicate through become a professor, so that he can continue to teach and further his research.

Grimm credits his time at Highland for helping set him on this pathway.

“Not only did my time at Highland help solidify my research interests, but it taught me the valuable life lessons that have helped me get to this point in my career and life. I am extremely grateful for my time spent playing sports at Highland,” he said. 

Barbra Chin, another friend of Grimm’s, said this about him, “Marshall is the kind of person that you always know when he’s in the room and you’re always glad he is. He has an infections approach to life and a humorous and jovial nature that are hard to miss. He is also the kind of person that will give a full effort in whatever he sets his mind to.”

Despite his athletic and academic achievements, Marshall feels his greatest accomplishment is marrying his sweetheart, Britney, in the Logan LDS temple.