Matt Hamill: The Hammer

424 Words2 Pages
Matt Hamill known as “The Hammer” has won nine and lost two UFC championships. He was the first deaf wrestler to be inducted into the NCAA hall of fame, and also graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His ascension to success however, did not come easily. You see, Matt was deaf at birth, he was bullied, rejected, and most notably, had to face challenges every inch of the way along his path to glory. Fortunately, he was intelligent, and determined to overcome the challenges he confronted. He was also blessed with as good a support group as you can imagine. His grandfather was a rock that he could depend on for guidance and support, his mother and brother who cared deeply for his wellbeing, and his coach and colleagues that he met…show more content…
His peers bullied him as a child; he was called “retard”. He was rejected by his childhood “crush” Shelly, when he invited her to accompany him to the prom, which, later on she changed her mind through his persistence. That did not turn out well either. On the bright side, he got accepted to Purdue and R.I.T. He initially chose Purdue as it was reputed to be one of the best wrestling schools around. This did not turn out well for him because he did not meet up the standards required by this institution. Dispirited with his failure he returned to his hometown and started working in a garage run by Stanley. Stanley saw Matt’s dismay and decided, along with Matt’s mom to mortgage their home in order to finance Matt’s education at R.I.T. With hesitancy, Matt accepted this new opportunity. Attending R.I.T had its hurdles, but his coach, roommate; Jay, and Kristi, who eventually became his wife made it much easier for him to sail to success. This movie was highly emotional and instructive. It reminds me of this adage that I’ve heard somewhere, “When life throws you lemons, make lemon-aid,” It also reminds me of a professor, who has had a similar

More about Matt Hamill: The Hammer

Open Document