Aug. 28---- Tom Gruhlke can go back to 1976 for when he learned about Paynesville wrestling
At the time, Gruhlke was a senior at Aitkin High School and was competing in the region tournament. His hope was making the state tournament for the first time.
"In order for me to get to state, I had to go through a Paynesville wrestler in the semifinals," said Gruhlke, who went on to compete at state that season. "And that was the first time I got an introduction to a man named Virg Vagle.
"Shortly thereafter, Virg Vagle started building a dynasty called Paynesville."
Vagle went on to win four state championships (1987, '90, '91, 2000) as part of a Hall of Fame career before retiring in 2004.
It's that sense of tradition that Vagle built that Gruhlke hopes to continue as the Bulldogs' new head coach.
Pending school board approval, Gruhlke takes over for Jeremy Reiter. Reiter coached Paynesville for six seasons.
"I've always had a love for coaching and enjoy being around the sport and around the kids," Gruhlke said. "I've been out of the coaching arena ever since I left Eden Prairie. I miss it.
"When Paynesville gave me a call, it re-lit a fire."
Gruhlke has built a Hall of Fame career of his own. His coaching career began in 1980 at Bird Island-Lake Lillian. There were stops at Buffalo Lake-Hector, Hutchinson, BOLD, Eden Prairie and Ridgewater College in Willmar. His career record is 341-318-3.
It was his time at BOLD that stands out. Gruhlke led the Warriors to state four times in 2002, '03, '05 and '06. BOLD was paired with Buffalo Lake-Hector in '05 and '06.
Under Gruhlke's leadership, BOLD won the 2003 Class A title. The Warriors were consolation bracket champs in 2002 and '06.
In 2025, Gruhlke was named to the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Dave Barthelma Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Recently, Gruhlke has been a volunteer coach at Sartell. That opportunity was special for Gruhlke. His grandson, Jayce Gruber, is a wrestler for the Sabres. He took fourth place in the Class AAA 114-pound state bracket last season.
"I've been a big part of Jayce's development over the years and that made this decision tough, too," said Gruhlke. He has another grandson, Harper Gruhlke, wrestling at Altoona High School in Wisconsin.
"Great memories," Tom added. "Great grandsons."
Although he turns 69 years old in September, Gruhlke doesn't want to slow down. He works as an agent at Farm Bureau Financial Services in Olivia. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Victoria.
Gruhlke knows it's 63 miles from Victoria to Paynesville. But that travel is nothing new to him.
"There was a time where I lived in Dassel and I would drive to Olivia where my office is and then at the end of the day, drive back to Eden Prairie for practice and then back to Dassel for supper," Gruhlke said.
"A lot of people would say 'What's wrong with you,'" Gruhlke joked.
He also wants to coach wrestling as long as his body allows him to. While he's in his late 60s, Gruhlke says he physically feels like he's "40, maybe younger."
The Bulldogs were a top-10 team through the 2025-26 season. They had four state entrants — Tyson Meagher (107), Nolan Roberg (114), Jamison Meagher (121) and Brooklyn Binsfeld (girls' 100) — that are all returning. Tyson was the runner-up at 107A.
"I understand Paynesville tradition very, very well," Gruhlke said. "It's intriguing because a lot of the kids that are wrestling for Paynesville now are second-generation wrestlers. These are kids that I coached against their dads. These kids know what their tradition is and that's exciting."
Gruhlke enjoys the grind of the wrestling season. it's why he's back as a head coach continuing the Paynesville tradition he saw as a prep athlete.
"It's a passion, that's all there is to it," Gruhlke said. "If you're gonna coach wrestling, you really got to have passion for it. I love the sport, I love being around the kids. There's nothing better than to have old wrestlers call you up just to talk. You know, kids that you coached back in '98, '99 and they'll call and say 'How you doing, Groke?'
"As long as I can do it, I will coach."
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