Travis Summers was a wrestling phenom at Fannin County High School from the autumn of 1999 until his graduation in 2002. His outstanding mat record, makes him the first Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame inductee to gain admission based on skills at the sport of wrestling.
At first glance, one might assume that Travis Summers took up wrestling as a matter of self-defense. His father did some wrestling and his older brother Trent won two Georgia state wrestling championships competing for Northside High School in Warner Robins. Travis, however, became interested in wrestling at a very young age when his father, Tracy, was stationed in Germany with the US Air Force. He wrestled in small competitions and showed considerable ability at the sport by the age of 10.
By the time the Summers family arrived in Fannin County, Travis, his twin sister Tiffany, his brother, his mom and his dad had already sported home addresses in Italy, Florida, Germany and Warner Robins, Georgia. After a 20-year military career, Tracy Summers hung up his wings and retired from the US Air Force as a first sergeant in 1999. After his retirement, the family moved to Fannin County where Travis’s mother, Tami Summers, became a counselor at Fannin County High School.
During his three-year stay at FCHS, Travis Summers earned varsity letters in soccer and football as well as three letters in wrestling. He started building his legendary status as a prep wrestler as a sophomore in the 1999-2000 school year. Wrestling in the 112 pound class that season Travis won the prestigious Amicalola Classic Championship and went on to capture the Georgia State Class AAA Championship.
Travis kept growing physically and competed in the 125 pound class a a junior in 2000-2001. He continued to win that year capturing the Area III Championship and again winning gold as the Georgia Class AAA champion. Winning the 2001 state championship was a special accomplishment for Travis since he won the title over previously undefeated Rusty Colley of Jackson County High School. Colley was ranked second in the nation in the 125 pound weight class before losing to Summers.
Travis capped off his amazing high school career as a senior by winning his third consecutive state championship in 2002 while competing in the 135 pound division. Along the way, during his senior year Travis also won the Area III championship and the Coal Mountain Classic Championship in a tournament held at North Forsyth High School.
Overall during his high school career, Travis had a record of 151 wins and only 10 losses. In addition to his three state championships, he earned a number of other honors. He was a Team Georgia selection in 2000, 2001 and 2002, was named to the Georgia All Classification All-Star team in 2001 and 2002 and was a three time Georgia USA Champion. In a ceremony held in December, 2002, Fannin County High School honored Travis and his lofty status as Fannin County High School All-Time Winningest Wrestler by placing a permanent plaque recognizing his career in the school gymnasium.
After completing his high school eligibility, Travis was awarded a four-year scholarship to wrestle for the Carson-Newman College Eagles in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Unfortunately, a back injury ended his wrestling career early in his stay at Carson-Newman.
Although he could no longer actively compete in the sport of wrestling, Travis remained very active and physically fit after his forced retirement. After leaving Carson-Newman he worked for a time as a guide for an Ocoee River whitewater rafting company.
He decided to continue his education and enrolled at Kennesaw State University in January, 2008 and earned his BBA Degree in International Business and Management on July 31, 2012. While a student at Kennesaw, Travis worked as a parking valet in the Buckhead area of Atlanta and learned a great deal about that enterprise. His knowledge would soon serve him well.
A few days after graduation, Travis departed the USA to begin an Australia Work Study Program as his final degree requirement. Upon successfully completing that program, he accepted a management position in the valet parking business in the Los Angeles, California area. Travis makes his home in Long Beach and is employed by Ameripark, one of the leading US providers of parking management services for a variety of venues including retail and entertainment complexes, hotels, hospitals, office buildings, restaurants and airports. He is single and continues to pursue an active lifestyle that keeps him in peak condition. He also recently acquired his first surfboard just a few months shy of his 30th birthday.
Travis’s parents and his twin sister continue to make their home in Fannin County and older brother Trent lives close by in neighboring Gilmer County.
