Eric Dunmire is a Butte wrestling legend.

The 1998 Butte High graduate became the first Bulldog — and just the 10th wrestler in Montana history — to win four individual state titles. He compiled a high school record of 152-2, and he never lost to a Montana wrestler in his prep career.

Eric won his first title at 105 pounds in 1995, helping the Bulldogs win the team title for the first time since 1992. He won again at 112 pounds as a sophomore, 119 pounds as a junior and 125 pounds as a senior. The Bulldogs won the team title again in 1997.

After beginning his college career at Northern Iowa, Eric transferred to MSU-Northern. He placed third at 141 pounds at the 2002 NAIA National Championships, earning All-American honors while competing for the Lights.

Eric was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

While Eric has not wrestled competitively in more than 20 years, wrestling never left him. He put in countless hours coaching with the Butte Wrestling Club. He also served as an assistant coach at Butte High under multiple head coaches.

Earlier this month, Eric was named head coach of Butte Central’s wrestling team, and he is eager to get going even though the season is more than 6 months away.

Yesterday, I met with Eric at the Knights of Columbus for a fun conversation. Listen in as Eric talks about his wrestling career that began when he was 5 years old. Listen as he describes the impact his parents, Pearl and Terry, had on his career.

Listen as he talks about the coaches who helped him along the way. Listen as he describes why Jim Street was such an incredible coach.

Listen in to hear how Eric is ready to take his love of the sport to Butte Central.

This episode is also available on YouTube.