Nick Brautovich was born in Watsonville in 1944 an only child, and was raised by his mother and grandmother in Watsonville.  He graduated from Notre Dame in 1958 and Watsonville High School in 1962.  Nick started working in the lettuce fields at the age of 14 and worked every summer during high school for Bud Antle as a loader in the fields. 

During his freshman year, 1959, he didn’t participate in any sports, primarily because no one provided any motivation or direction.  After a few bad experiences with his aggressive behavior, he decided to try athletics.  He had been working in the lettuce fields, loading lettuce for several years during the summer and was very accustomed to hard work and sweat.  Although he loved football, he had unusual strength and a propensity for throwing the shot put and discus.

In 1962, he broke the school discus record held by Gary Marinovich on 4 successive occasions.  Besides winning the CCAL league title in the discus with a mark of 161 feet, he placed second in the shot put.  After WHS graduation, he attended Cabrillo Junior College in 1962 for 1 year and then entered the US Army California National Guard in Watsonville.  After the Army experience, he decided to work for a year before he returned to Cabrillo College, where he pursued weight training with much intensity.  Working without more education was stressful and he made the decision to pursue his college degree.

At Cabrillo he participated in football and track, winning a league championship and setting a Junior College record..  He received a full scholarship to the University of Alabama and threw both the discus and shot put there for one year before getting homesick and returning to Watsonville.  From there he was fortunate to get a full scholarship to San Jose State University and was a member of the NCAA National

Championship team.  He graduated from San Jose State in 1968 and had hopes of trying out for the Olympic team but an injury prevented him from doing so.

His love of weight lifting stayed with him and in the early 70’s he won the California State Powerlifting Championship and also the Western United States Championship.  In 1974, his deadlift of 705 lbs. in the 198 pound weight class was ranked second in the world.  He still competes in weight lifting at age 62 and has won the Western United States Police and Fire Olympics 5 straight years.  Last year he bench pressed 341 lbs. in the 220 pound weight class.  This year he is looking forward to that same meet in Mesa, Arizona.  If he wins he would qualify for the World Championships in Australia

His work career has been extremely gratifying since he graduated from college in 1968.  After working several years in Silicon Valley with a college degree in Human Resources, he served as a Santa Cruz County Probation Officer from 1974 through 1980.  He returned to the computer industry for several more years before returning to his primary career, Corrections.  In 1986 he went to work for the State of California as a Parole Agent and now, 21 years later, he is preparing for retirement from a profession that he would pursue again.  Currently he is the Unit Supervisor for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Adult Parole Operations.  His office and parole agents supervise over 500 parolees residing in Santa Cruz County.

His son Eric, was born in 1968 and lives in Soquel with his wife and his 4 year old grandson.  He coached his son in Pop Warner football, played city league flag football with him, and most recently coached the Watsonville Pajaro Valley Bobcats, a Watsonville Pop Warner youth football team with him in 1994.  His oldest daughter, Dena, was born in 1972 and is an active aerobics instructor residing in Soquel.  His 23 year old stepdaughter, Erika, is a senior at San Jose State University and works part time for Granite Construction in Watsonville.  His youngest child, Nikia, age 16, attends Aptos High School and Cabrillo College and hopes to study theater arts at U.C.L.A.  He and his wife, Cynthia, have been married since 1988 and are celebrating their 20th anniversary soon.

His dad, 83, resides in Modesto and his mother, 81, in Watsonville.  He lost his last grandparent, the dear grandmother that had such a major part in raising him, in 2006, at the age of 99.   Nick as greatly influenced by WHS football and track coach Dick Petty, who had just graduated from USC and demanded 110% athletically and academically from his players.  He also had the opportunity to play one year of football for Emmett Geiser, his last year of coaching.  Nick adds, “A profound appreciation goes out to one of my best friends from high school, Frank “Chico” Castro, also responsible for nominating me for this honor. I feel proud to have grown up in Watsonville and will always be a true Wildcat.”