Clarksville, TN – In looking for its third head wrestling coach in as many seasons, Clarksville High School turned to a familiar face to local prep wrestling fans, with Tommy Badon moving from former district rival Dickson County High School to take charge of the successful program.
Along with having coached against the Wildcats for several seasons, Badon has personal ties to the school, with his father being a former assistant principle at CHS in the middle to late 1970’s before moving to Franklin, TN and becoming an administrator in the Franklin Special School District.
Badon wrestled at Franklin High School and went to the University of Tennessee on a scholarship to wrestle.
But he never wrestled a match for the Vols, being red-shirted his freshman year and then the school dropping the wrestling program in the spring of his freshman year.
He stayed at UT for two more years before transferring to Memphis State University to get his teaching certificate.
He returned to Franklin High School to teach and coach for seven years (1992-99) before moving to Dickson County High School and building a solid program for the Cougars over the past 14 years.
“Clarksville High has had a great program for many years with a lot of storied wrestlers come through the program,” Badon said. “At Dickson County, we built up the program and had a lot of state qualifiers – which they hadn’t had on a consistent basis.
“But it got to a point where we couldn’t build the program anymore simply because of teachers pay, because I finally got an assistant coaching supplement, but couldn’t fill it. It just got to a point where it was frustrating.”
Badon will have Aaron Holker returning as assistant coach.
“We had a great bunch of kids last year (at Dickson),” Badon said. “Kids that I had coached from youth programs, but the opportunity was here and to be able to come to a program with the parent support, the facility they have here it’s incredible.
“I’m real excited about the opportunities here and it’s a great fit for me and it’s a great fit for the style of wrestling I coach.”
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