Stuttgart linebacker Jack Gruver latches onto the jersey of Royal running back Ethan Wilson during a Division I football semifinal on Oct. 21, 2023, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Jack Gruver never backed down from a challenge.
Used to being the best of the best in DODEA-Europe whenever he competed, the Stuttgart senior didn’t let any shock from losing last long. Or if he did, he didn’t let on to anyone.
Instead, Gruver took it as motivation.
“When he saw that competition, it did make him feel some kind of way. ‘Hold up, who is this guy? No, I’m the top dog,’” Stuttgart track and field coach Ian Wingfield said. “He’s an alpha athlete, and alphas, they need another alpha to bring that more out of them. Iron sharpens iron.”
Rising to the occasion throughout his senior year, Gruver finished with three European crowns and another runner-up trophy in three sports – football, wrestling and track and field.
Because of his efforts, Gruver earned DODEA’s European Male Athlete of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year.
“I always wanted to be good at what I do, so this proved that I can do whatever, succeed,” Gruver said of the honor.
Stuttgart’s Jack Gruver tries to take down Ramstein’s Matthew Rutlege in the 190-pound championship match at the DODEA-Europe wrestling finals in Wiesbaden, Germany. Gruver beat Rutlege to take the 2024 title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The son of a teacher, Mary Gruver, Jack Gruver was quick to learn from setbacks. And he experienced more than his first three years as a Panther.
In football, Stuttgart began the season 1-2 after losing for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The two defeats came to Ramstein (14-9) on Sept. 8 and Lakenheath (21-10) on Sept. 22.
They rattled off five consecutive wins to defend their Division I European title again with a 24-22 victory over longtime title rival Vilseck on Oct. 28.
Gruver played a key role in that turnaround with his powerful running style in the offensive backfield. He also manned the heart of the defense at linebacker, with his coach Antoine Reed describing him as “tenacious” and being able to read plays, shed block and make big-time tackles.
He earned first-team All-European honors on defense.
In wrestling, Gruver entered the season as the favorite at 190 pounds, but a pair of early regular-season defeats to Vilseck’s Garrett Hyten had him on the backfoot. The senior Panther recovered and didn’t lose a single match the rest of the way, defeating Hyten twice – including in the sectional championship at Stuttgart on Feb. 3.
He finished the campaign with a 20-2 record, defeating Ramstein’s Matthew Rutlege in a 17-11 decision on Feb. 10.
In track and field, Gruver entered the spring as the defending champion in the discus and was looking to pull off the throwing double with the shot put as well. In the only time he couldn’t catch up to a rival, though, he took second in the discus to Ramstein sophomore Javier Harrington with a throw of 138 feet, 2 inches – 10.5 feet shorter than the winner.
Still, Gruver bounced back with a throw of 46-11 in the shot put, which won by more than four feet.
Panther’ quarterback Ty Jones hands the ball off to Jack Gruver during the Division I championship game against Vilseck on Oct. 28, 2023, at Stuttgart Highschool. Gruver was named DODEA’s European Male Athlete of the Year. (Michael Slavin/ Stars and Stripes)
No coach seemed as impressed with Gruver’s ability to recover than his football coach, who wasn’t shocked to learn his most memorable game on the gridiron this year was the Lakenheath loss.
“Jack’s perspective on the Lakenheath game and the lessons learned showcase his maturity and resilience as both a player and a person,” Reed said. “It speaks volumes about his character that he can extract valuable insights from setbacks and use them to fuel his growth and development. His ability to learn from adversity and bounce back stronger is a testament to his true leadership qualities.”
All his coaches extolled Gruver’s leadership abilities, with Wingfield saying he held himself and others to a standard and dragged teammates along to meet them.
It really showed on the wrestling mats. Gruver was named captain by head coach Frederick King for the second straight year. With King injured early in the season, Jack stepped up demonstrate moves for his teammates in his coach’s stead.
“He’s evolved into an amazing leader, a star athlete, someone who knows how to work hard, who knows how to remain humble when they win and to remain calm even when they experience a loss,” assistant wrestling coach Matthew Fischer said. “But the biggest thing is his teammates really look up to him. He just had that natural leadership ability.”
Gruver also wasn’t afraid to try new tactics and uncommon drills to improve his skills.
Known for his throwing technique on the mats, it put him in trouble his junior season when he was disqualified in the semifinals of the European championships. The coaches decided to focus on classical moves such as single legs, and it worked, especially against Rutlege in the final.
Stuttgart's Jack Gruver fights off an attack by Vilseck's Garrett Hyten in a 190-pound match at the DODEA sectional wrestling tournament on Feb. 3, 2024, at Stuttgart High School in Boeblingen, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Then, to overcome what Gruver described as a crisis of confidence after losing to Hyten twice in the first month of the season by points and a pin, he and King devised a rare plan. Gruver put on a blindfold to wrestle in practice.
The effort left his coach impressed.
“To learn how to wrestle and do moves through second nature and through instinct, it’s just something that’s normally not done,” King said. “In fact, he’s the first one I’ve done it in a long time. But he had to figure out, ‘What do I need to do to go that extra mile.’”
Gruver called the wrestling title his favorite throughout his senior year. He said he wanted that elusive title, and it was one of the top three moments of his life.
The Panther moves onto Oklahoma State University in the fall. He said he doesn’t know if he will try to walk onto the wrestling team there, as it is one of the most successful programs in the country with 34 NCAA Division I team titles, 143 individual champions and 485 All-Americans.
But if his time at Stuttgart is any indication, Gruver can rise to almost any challenge put in front of him.
Before that, though, he expressed pride and happiness during his time as a Panther.
“I always had a fun mentality going into things,” Gruver said. “This was fun.”
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