When Brock Lesnar left Webster, S.D., in the summer of 1996, he said he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Not one school had shown an interest in signing Lesnar, who had never advanced beyond the semifinals of the South Dakota state high school tournament, as a wrestler. But former Bismarck State College All-American Mike Wiley saw something in his fellow Webster alum, and convinced Lesnar to come to Bismarck and pursue the sport he always loved best.

"Before I knew it, I'm in Bismarck, I've got an old Monte Carlo with snow tires on the back, it's September and I've got maybe $100 to my name and I'm living in (athletic director) Ed Kringstad's basement," Lesnar said. "Life brings you weird things."

Life has brought plenty of twists that Lesnar never could have envisioned growing up a small-town farm boy. The road to championships -- at the NJCAA, NCAA and professional level -- fortune, and a fame he still finds uncomfortable, began with his decision to follow his heart to BSC.

With Lesnar back in town for his induction into the BSC Hall of Fame, the former national champion reminisced about his early days.

"It's pretty awesome that I'm getting inducted, getting to hang a piece of me in here, because this (place) is a piece of me," Lesnar said. "... When I came here today, and I'm sitting and talking in front of the BSC foundation for lunch, I got choked up. This is where it all started. I remember those people that helped me out. I remember Ed Kringstad, (athletic secretary) Dee (Bertsch), the Katzes -- everybody that was there to give me a helping hand or a kick in the rear."

A late bloomer

Kringstad, who coached the BSC wrestling team for most of its 38-year run, was serving as the school's athletic director when Lesnar arrived. BSC already had a heavyweight, and the Mystics weren't expecting much from the unheralded recruit. Yet they were willing to give Lesnar a shot because of Wiley's credibility.

"(Wiley) said he thinks (Lesnar) had a lot of potential," Kringstad remembered. "Wiley, I knew, knows wrestling, so I just went with that. This kid showed up and he was awesome."

But Lesnar said he didn't know what to expect when he arrived at BSC.

"For me, the one thing that sticks out is I didn't know what I was getting myself into," he said. "... I remember just struggling. I wasn't the greatest wrestler out of high school, and I was going up against and meeting guys that were better than me. I was wrestling with them, and I just kept hammering away. Not only on the wrestling mat, but in the classroom as well. Every day was a battle and something new."

Lesnar progressed quickly enough to finished fifth in the 1997 NJCAA tournament. By his sophomore year, Lesnar was all but unstoppable, putting together a 33-0 season.

"There was a point where I kind of grew out of my shell," he said. "I was a late bloomer, you know. For me, I wasn't the greatest technician, but I was in great condition, and I was agile and quick and strong."

A bittersweet win

But Lesnar's crowning achievement at the junior college level -- defeating Dave Anderton of Ricks (Idaho) College 11-9 for the 1998 NJCAA heavyweight title -- was bittersweet. His match was the final one for the Mystics' wrestling program, which was shut down for financial reasons.

It's a decision that still sticks in Lesnar's craw.

"I'm a little bitter about the wrestling program not being here," he said. "I'm a little chapped about that. As I walk around the facility and I see -- back when they dropped the program, it was a money issue. Now, it's five years or six years later, and I'm walking around this facility, and there's all these new buildings going up, and I'm seeing this new cafeteria and all these other things.

"Well where's the new wrestling room?," he asked. "That's kind of hard for me to swallow."

But it's also a reason why Lesnar was happy to be back on campus and help the school raise some funds to help other athletes.

"I want to give these kids who are coming out of high school -- like me -- I just wanted to them to feel special at a small school," he explained. "That's why I'm here, to give back, and let the people know that I appreciated every thing they've done, and I want to give these other kids opportunities."

Wanting more

Because he had never won a state title in high school, Lesnar said he felt like he arrived at BSC with unfinished business. But winning a juco title wasn't enough to satisfy him.

"My national (junior college) championship was, for me, a weight lifted off my shoulder," he said. "And then it was like, 'No. that wasn't good enough.' I want some more, and let's see where we could go with it."

Where Lesnar went was to the University of Minnesota, where he immediately established himself as a dominant force at the NCAA level. As a junior, Lesnar advanced all the way to the national championship match, dropping a 3-2 decision to Stephen Neal of Cal State-Bakersfield.

Lesnar kept pushing himself. He would run half-marathons at 270 pounds or square off with his teammates -- all top-flight grapplers themselves -- one after another to the point of exhaustion. "I was a machine in college," he said.

It paid off when he defeated Wes Hand of Iowa, 5-3, to capture the 2000 NCAA heavyweight title.

But just like after winning the juco title at BSC, the victory wasn't enough to quench Lesnar's competitive desire.

"The night that I won my championship, this weight was lifted off of me, and I thought, 'This is the greatest feeling ever,' " Lesnar said. "But the next day when I woke up, I never felt so empty inside, because I didn't know what I was going to do now."

Going pro

With his size, athletic ability and menacing appearance, Lesnar was a natural for World Wrestling Entertainment -- Vince McMahon's pro wrestling organization better known by its former acronym, the WWF.

He explained that his decision to sign with WWE was influenced heavily by one factor: "Eighteen years of starving," he said with a laugh.

Actually, his choice was more involved than that. "It was (a difficult decision). It really was," he said. "Do I stay in school and finish up and play football, since I had another year of eligibility for the Gophers in another sport? Do I go on and follow my dreams as an Olympic wrestler?

"I locked myself in the basement of the house that we were living at for a whole month, because I knew the WWE wanted me," he said. "I didn't know what to do. I just made that decision. When I was digging in my pockets to chase my buddies out to go grab a beer and a steak, or something, and I was digging deep and there was nothing in (them), I said, 'It's time to open a new chapter and see what happens.' "

Next big thing

The WWE sent Lesnar to their developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, in August of 2000 to groom him for a spot on the main roster.

Although many wrestlers with legitimate amateur credentials struggle to adapt to pro wrestling, Lesnar proved a quick study. He said having the right attitude helped speed his development.

"I had to go in with an open mind, keep (my mouth) shut and my ears open," he said. "... They just didn't stick me out in the ring. I trained for a year-and-a-half, every single day.

"I committed to myself," he continued. "I committed to Vince McMahon and I wanted to be a pro wrestler. From the day I signed on the dotted line, I turned that switch, and I just wanted to become an entertainer. I got the same feeling out of it as I did as an amateur wrestler."

When he was promoted to the main roster, Lesnar was given the moniker "Next Big Thing" and quickly was pushed to the top, winning the WWE championship within months. But even as Lesnar continued to evolve into a strong all-around performer for McMahon, he began to struggle with the demands of the business.

"I wasn't ready for what (McMahon) had put on my plate," Lesnar said. "I couldn't eat it all. I tried to, you know. That's just me being me. He asked me, 'Are you ready for this?' And I just said, 'Bring it on. Let's go.'

"I wasn't ready to be traveling 300 days a year," he said. "I wasn't ready for the money. I wasn't ready for the responsibilities. I wasn't ready to be a father. I wasn't ready to be a husband. I wasn't ready for a lot of things. I had a lot of growing up to do. I was forced to grow up."

NFL beckons

With his heart no longer in pro wrestling, Lesnar asked for a release from his contract to pursue his other boyhood dream -- football.

The odds were against Lesnar making the NFL. He hadn't played football since high school, plus years of pro wrestling had taken a toll on his body. It didn't help that Lesnar got into a serious motorcycle accident a few months before going to the Minnesota Vikings training camp.

Lesnar impressed the Vikings enough with his raw athletic ability to get a look, but he was cut early in the preseason. But even if the tryout didn't go as he was planned, he said he had no regrets about walking away from the WWE to give the NFL a try.

"The only regret that I would ever have is not doing something," he said. "I can tell my grandkids and my kids -- I mean, I might not have made the team. I was on the practice squad, but how many kids from Webster, S.D., have got a football card in a Minnesota Vikings jersey?

"... I'm man enough to admit that I wasn't ready for that either, but I just threw myself in there," he added. "There's only one way I know, and that's full throttle and to the wolves."

Back to the ring?

When football didn't pan out, Lesnar was left without an athletic outlet. To get out of his contract with WWE, he had agreed to a non-compete clause that reportedly lasts until 2010.

He has been embroiled in a lawsuit with WWE trying to break the deal, but on Thursday he shifted gears and opened the door for a settlement and a return to McMahon's group.

"I'm ready for it now," he said. "... With the lawsuit and everything going on, I just hope we can resolve this thing, and Vince can open his doors to me and just give me a second chance.

"I have no idea (where it stands)," he added. "I guess it stands on the end of your pencil, when it gets on the Internet. That's probably where he'll catch the news. It's either that or me calling him. But I don't know what else I'd be. What else is there for me?"

Actually, one other opportunity is a return to the amateur ranks as a coach, but that day is off in the future.

"I love coaching. I think would make an excellent coach," he said. "My heart was there for that, but the timing isn't. I don't think I could commit right now to it, because I know that there's other carrots out there dangling in front of me."