Eric Irvin Eric Irvin finished his wrestling career at Kansas’ LaBette Community College on a sour note. The small-town Missouri kid who had wrestled for the first time as a sophomore in high school had gone to LaBette for an unexpected college career. Then he improved, advancing to the national tournament as a sophomore. He fell short of earning All-American status by one match at that tournament, which continued to bother him as he earned degrees and got jobs in the world of graphic design. There was a hole, and he wanted to fill it. “It left a bad taste in my mouth,” Irvin told MMAjunkie.