Passion with Purpose: How a Kid from Detroit Became Mr. San Diego

Michael Brunker grew up in Detroit. His childhood neighbors just happened to include Melvin Franklin of The Temptations and Dick “Night Train” Lane. At the University of Detroit, where Brunker received a political science degree, he played one season of basketball. While there, he began coaching basketball at various levels, and in 1974, when he was an assistant coach at Birmingham Brother Rice High School, the Warriors won the Class A state championship.

From 1974 to 1978 he served as an assistant coach at the University of Detroit under Dick Vitale, and helped lead the Titans to an 86-25 record, with a trip to the 1977 NCAA Tournament and a bid to the 1978 NIT. After that, he moved with Vitale to the Detroit Pistons, where he again served as an assistant coach. In 1980, he joined another former Titan coach, Smokey Gaines, at San Diego State University. After seven years there, including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1985, Brunker went off on his own and founded the San Diego Regional Police Athletic League.

In 1997, Brunker transitioned to the YMCA of San Diego County. He served as the director of the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA for 22 years, where he oversaw the construction of a new $40-million facility with 200 people on the payroll. He felt his greatest accomplishment there was growing the team and employing people from San Diego’s most underserved areas. In 2019 he became Vice President for Mission Advancement at the San Diego YMCA, the position from which he retired from in 2021. Currently, he is the Principal of Michaelbrunker.net, and provides inspirational speaking, project management, and coaching.

Brunker is a member of the San Diego Rotary Club, ranked among the top ten largest Rotary Clubs in the world. San Diego Rotary selected him as “Mr. San Diego” in 2019, and as its President Elect for 2023-2024.

Interestingly, a couple of years ago, at the urging of his children, Brunker took a DNA test that set him off on an exciting genealogical odyssey.

Brunker tries to live—and, indeed, has led— his life in accordance with this quote from Jackie Robinson:  “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”