DE PERE (NBC 26) — Sports aren’t just about wins and losses. Winning is always the goal—but for one De Pere native, wrestling became something much bigger: a lifeline through the toughest moment of his life.
Now 25, Sam Bruss has been wrestling since he was 4 years old.
“You can't hide,” Bruss said. “It's just you against your opponent, there's nothing you can do about it.”
WATCH SAM'S INSPIRATIONAL STORY HERE:
A standout high school career at De Pere High School earned him a spot at the University of Mary, a Division II college in Bismarck, North Dakota, where his brother Max is the all-time wins leader.
“The hard work paid off and now I get to go wrestle in college for 4 more years,” Bruss said.
But on May 29, 2024, his life changed forever. While in his trailer trying to avoid two falling boat docks, Bruss jumped out of the way, landing directly on a metal T-post.
“It basically impaled me through my left buttock,” Bruss said. “Thankfully, it fractured my right pelvis. Otherwise, it would have gone all the way. I would have been just bled out on the post.”
He suffered major internal damage to his organs, though the severity of the injury was not immediately clear to him.
“I was in shock,” Bruss said. “I didn't think it was too bad. I got in the ambulance. They're like, 'Oh, you want some pain meds?' I'm like, 'No, I don't need pain meds, like a couple stitches, maybe.'”
“I think I pretty much made up my mind, like, a T-post is not taking me out right now,” Sam Bruss said.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Minot, North Dakota, for emergency surgery.
“I was in Minot for a week,” Bruss said. “I got like a private medical air flight to Green Bay at St. Vincent Hospital. And I was there for four or five days, and then I chose to go home.”
During his recovery, Bruss said wrestling remained a big part of his life.
“I got a chance to coach my fifth year during my medical redshirt,” Bruss said. “I got brought in on this as a student coach, and there was a lot more of self-reflection and a different perspective when you're watching the sport.”
Inspiration from the wrestling team also helped him maintain a positive outlook throughout his rehabilitation.
“(The team had a quote) You can have one thought at a time, make it positive,” Bruss said. “OK, let's not be negative about this. What can I control? What can I be happy about right now? Like, we're alive. That's positive. I was able to walk 10 feet today, that's positive.”
Bruss eventually returned to the mat in August 2025.
“It would (have been) a success if I was able to practice all year, get one match at senior night,” Bruss said. “And then I ended up wrestling the full season."
"I took fixth place at the Super Region tournament, had a couple nationally ranked wins," he said. "I was more grateful for the opportunity to go out and compete."
Last weekend, Bruss was named the Revive Award winner, presented by Mueller Sports to college athletes who demonstrate extraordinary resilience, character, and heart by overcoming severe adversity and injuries. The award comes with $10,000.
“The money's great,” Bruss said. “I think it's a better message of me being able to share my story and hopefully inspire other people's going through rough times of maybe they can be inspired to have a comeback of their own.”
Now in his seventh and final collegiate season, Bruss says he wants to be on the podium at the end of the year receiving an NCAA trophy—but most importantly, he says he just wants to contribute to his team success.
