Eric Jetton was born in Irving, Texas. His love of wrestling started very early in life at the local YMCA. By the age of 10, he had won five Texas state titles. Unfortunately for Eric, his family moved to Tyler, Texas, a rural area without a wrestling program, forcing him to stop wrestling. Luckily Eric’s passion for the sport was reignited when his family moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin the summer before he started high school.

At La Crosse Central High School, Eric was a four time WIAA state wrestling finalist, winning the championship his junior and senior years. His career record while at Central was 133-11, winning his last 70 matches in a row. In 1993 Eric was named Wisconsin state high school “Wrestler of the Year.”

Eric accepted a full athletic scholarship to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where, under the tutelage of Coach Barry Davis, he was a two-time Big Ten Champion, a four time NCAA national tournament qualifier, and a three time All American, finishing 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd in his final three years. In 1998, he was named the University of Wisconsin Male Athlete of the Year, and was a finalist for the Jesse Owens Athlete of the Year national award. Eric finished his college career with 115 wins, to rank him sixth on the UW career wins list, and third on the career winning percentage list, at .865.

After college, Eric moved to Portland, Oregon. Looking for a new athletic challenge, in his free time, he began practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, ultimately earning his Black Belt in 2010. He coached many mixed martial artists on how to implement wrestling into their fighting arsenals, as well as coaching multiple times in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  

Eric and wife Adriane own a wood products manufacturing plant in Forest Grove, Oregon. They have two amazing children, Max and Margo.

La Crosse Central High School
Career record 133-11
Four-time conference champion
Two-time state runner up
Two-time state champion
1993 Wisconsin wrestler of the year
2013 Inducted into La Crosse Central Hall of Excellence

University of Wisconsin Madison
Career record 115-18
Two-time Big Ten champion
Three-time All American, finishing 3rd, 3rd, 2nd
Four time NCAA qualifier
1998 UW-Madison Male Athlete of the Year

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