Judging by his 2,550 Facebook friends, Atticus Disney leaves quite an impression on those who meet the 6-foot-2, 220-pound heavyweight wrestler. Everything from his blackened eye from a tussle against San Francisco State to his name makes him hard to miss.
As for possibly his most distinguishing characteristic, Disney said his father Barry is a lawyer and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” left an impression on him. Besides, Disney said, his parents were either going to christen him after the fatherly lawyer or settle on Ken.
In the long run, he’s glad they went with Atticus, because Ken Disney does not quite have the same ring.
“No one likes to have the weird name when you’re little, because everyone makes fun of you,” Disney said. “But when you start getting older I think people remember you easier. I mean in class, you don’t really forget the name Atticus. I love it now.”
Barry not only gave Disney his name, but also helped turn Disney on to wrestling in his youth while growing up in Kansas. Though he wanted to clear one thing up about living in the Midwest.
“We are not all hicks,” Disney said. “We do not all live on a farm and have cows that we have to milk at five in the morning every day.”
One time after a play battle in the living room, Barry told Atticus that he was going to be too big and too short for basketball so he might as well find another winter sport.
Trading the hardcourt for the mat turned out to be the right move. As a high schooler Disney captured three state titles in the wrestling-addicted Jayhawk State where spectators flock en-mass to big tournaments.
In typical heavyweight fashion, he developed a habit of finding hiding places for food in the wrestling room. By going shopping before practice he could buy Snickers and stuff them under the mat until, at the right moment, he would chow down when his coach was not looking.
Eating habits aside, with three state titles under his belt, Disney was a highly sought-after recruit. And when the University of Minnesota, also known as “Heavyweight U,” came knocking, Disney was instantly enamored and enrolled in 2008.
But for Disney, the attitude among the coaches and athletes made everyone eat, sleep and breathe wrestling, allowing little time off the mat. By the end of the season Disney was physically and mentally defeated, not to mention nursing a torn ACL.
Although still attending classes in Minnesota, Disney did not compete in the 2009-2010 season, but finally came to the realization that he still had the urge to get back on the mat.
As it just so happened, Jake Tanenbaum, who is redshirting at 125-pounds this season, lived close to Disney and turned him on to Cal Poly. Disney took a trip to campus last year and knew it was the right place.
Now he lives off campus along with other transfers, including senior Barrett Abel who has been impressed by his work ethic.
“He’s incredibly talented, comes off a top program so he knows how to work hard,” Abel said. “He’s coming off an injury so he hasn’t had the results he’s wanted, but it’s transition phase and we’re all going through it.”
It is clear Disney’s transition phase is coming to an end, but talking about the big tournaments coming up cause him to get serious for a few moments before he quickly reverts to his low-key style.
And it’s not that the Pac-10 Championships, slated to take place this weekend, do not have huge implications for the redshirt sophomore, Perry said Disney has an opportunity to pull an upset and find his way to Philadelphia for his first trip to the national championships.
“I know at any given moment I can compete and beat any one of these kids in the Pac-10,” Disney said. “My mentality is that all year I’ve been focused on wrestling my best at Pac-10 and NCAA’s and I’ve planned on winning it. My plans haven’t changed despite my season.”
As evidenced by his departure from the Twin Cities, Disney’s temperament thrives off balancing a serious work ethic toward wrestling and a humorous attitude toward life.
He also took time to dispel stereotypes about wrestlers, especially the misconception that they are not very smart.
“Genius is a strong word, but I’m pretty intellectual,” Disney said, laughing. “No, I wouldn’t say we’re not as smart. I would say that we tend to not have as high grades because of all the other distractions we have going on. Also, we don’t just care about our muscles. I think that people think we just go look at ourselves in the mirror all day. I think we’re a little bit deeper than that; we have feelings, emotions.”
Wrestling has never been as popular as basketball especially outside of the Midwest, but Disney said he feels the one-on-one combat that wrestling thrives on makes it a true spectator sport.
“I don’t want to say it’s harder, but I’m saying it’s harder,” Disney said.
He also took time to comment on the basketball players themselves.
“They’re like 7-feet-tall and have lanky Gumby arms,” he said. “They look like the wacky, waving inflatable tube man. That will get me in trouble, but I don’t know any basketball players.”
When asked about the Disney character he most resembled and liked, his answer was Mr. Incredible. But if his opponents at the Pac-10 Championships are looking for someone to compare him to, Disney found a character straight out of Harper Lee’s novel.
“Atticus Disney is like Boo Radley,” Disney said. “Because you all should be very afraid.”
“””But for Disney, the attitude among the coaches and athletes made everyone eat, sleep and breathe wrestling, allowing little time off the mat. By the end of the season Disney was physically and mentally defeated, not to mention nursing a torn ACL.”””
:<
I actually took a class with this guy at the U, and never forgot his name because it was so damned awesome. I was impressed because he really did buck the “athletes are stupid and don’t care about their classes” mentality.