Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grill grew up drawing incessantly before training to become a painter and sculptor.  His style is rooted in both modern and classical traditions.  This dynamic bronze relief echoes both the comic books featuring superheroes that Grill copied as a child and sculptures adorning Hellenistic Greek temples, many of which celebrate the victories of mythic heroes.

To commemorate Duke Slater and Iowa’s 1921 National Championship football team, Grill depicted a cascade of strong, male bodies in motion, descending from the upright, running figure on the left to the fallen player on the right, whose fingers emerge from the picture plane into the viewers’ space.  Slater himself, helmetless and determined, burst from the cluster of bodies at the center of the composition like an unstoppable force.  With his face set in an expression of calm determination, he uses his body as a shield, pushing the players to his left aside and freeing a path for his teammate to run forward with the ball.