Dan Brink was one of the first area wrestlers to win a high school state championship, pulling off the feat in the early 1970s at Orchard View. It turns out he was just getting started. Brink went on to earn All-American honors at both Muskegon Community College and the University of Michigan, then returned to the Muskegon area and built both Whitehall and Fruitport into powerhouse wrestling programs.
Brink won his prep state championship as a junior at Orchard View, going 37-7 and winning the Class B 148-pound title during the 1969-70 school year. Following a stellar career at Muskegon Community College, Brink transferred to the University of Michigan. Wrestling at 158-pounds for the Wolverines, he earned a third-place finish in the Big Ten Conference Championships as a senior, then was named All-American with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA tournament at Princeton in March of 1975.
In 1976, Brink came far closer than any other local wrestler before him to reaching the Olympics when he won a Regional Qualifying match. The dream ended as a severe neck injury suffered during earlier competition prevented him from advancing to the Olympic Finals Tryout.
Following graduation, he returned to the Muskegon area and was named wrestling coach at Whitehall High School. Under Brink’s guidance, Whitehall compiled a 94-16 dual meet record from 1975-1982. The Vikings won two regional titles, three conference championships, three district titles and won the city meet three times before he stepped down from the position.
Brink resumed his coaching career in 1987, returning a once dominant Fruitport wrestling program to prominence. The Trojans posted a 110-89-1 record in 10 seasons under his leadership. Fruitport athletes earned 10 state medals during the span, and included three state champions. Brink’s teams won two district titles, two conference titles and two city meets during the decade.
Brink lives in Muskegon with his wife, Debby. They have three children, including 1997 Male Student-Athlete award winner Matt Brink.