EAST LANSING – They grew up with a wrestling mat in the basement.
Jack Allen and his little brother Brian used to go downstairs and beat the heck out of each other. “It’s kind of like an Ultimate Fighting ring,” Jack Allen said. “The cage is the drywall around it.”
Eventually, somebody would fly into the wall and punch a hole in the drywall. “All the time,” Jack said. “My dad actually bought us boxing gloves. Most of the fights usually ended up with somebody crying, or my dad running down the stairs yelling.”
The battles engrained discipline, toughness and a competitive spirit.