Mike McGrath began his wrestling career in Delta, Colorado under Hall of Fame coach Arnold "Torgy" Torgerson and concluded his mat career at the U.S. Naval Academy. At the Naval Academy he was a two time EIWA place winner and competed in the NCAA wrestling tournament for coach Ed Peery. McGrath's first courageous deed was performed at the age of 15, when he rescued a construction worker that had fallen in the Colorado River. As a Navy pilot, McGrath flew 179 combat missions against heavily defended targets in North Vietnam before being downed by enemy gunfire on June 30, 1967. Severely wounded, he endured lack of medical attention and torture until his release on March 4, 1973. He received many military awards and decorations for heroism and shortly before his retirement saved two people in a non-related naval accident. For this, he was awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for heroism. McGrath went on to a second career as a commercial airline pilot and currently lives in Monument, Colorado with his wife, Marlene.