Name: Brad Anderson

Sport: Wrestling

Years coached at FHC: Going into 13th season

Why do you coach? What makes you want to come and work with a bunch of high schoolers?

“I believe athletics is an extension of the classroom. Wrestling, just like history, provides me with an opportunity to mentor the future leaders, teachers, coaches, community members, and the case of wrestling – fathers, and husbands. I also believe wrestling is an incredible vehicle for turning young boys into men; it teaches you about hard work, discipline, and grit”

What do you do to motivate your team?

“I write a daily message every day of the season with inspirational quotes, scouting reports, mental toughness pointers, and general conduct reminders. I also enjoy using tradition and rites of passage to mark progress, toughness, and achieving our goals. I’ve also been known to give a speech or two.”

What is your connection to the sport that you coach? How did you get started coaching that sport?

“I’ve been wrestling since the age of six years old. I was coached by my father and then by Dave Mills and other close family friends. Most of the positive male role models in my life were either wrestling coaches or teachers. I decided that those men impacted lives and I wanted to do the same.”

How do you help your team deal with losses?

“Every loss is different. If our team wrestles to the best of their ability then we have no reason to feel bad – we walk out of the locker room with our pride intact. If we lose because we failed to wrestle up to our potential or prepare properly, then we resolve to work harder and improvise, adapt, and overcome!”

What do you think that everyone should know about coaching?

“Coaching is a highly rewarding profession, but it can be incredibly stressful. You win with the team, you lose with the team, your tide rises and falls with each individual win and loss. But that is what makes it great and that is what makes each year a new adventure – the fact that you are in the arena.”

What is your favorite coaching memory?

“It’s hard to say as I coach alongside my father and coached alongside Dave Mills, his son Jake Mills, and then coached Matt Mills through high school. I’ve also had some of my dearest friends on the bench coaching with me as well. I really enjoy working with my staff. And there have been so many “hometown heroes” that have come through our ranks – Sven Alm, Parker Tillman, and now guys like our current crop of seniors. But I would have to say my favorite memory to date was our district finals victory over Rockford at home in 2015 – there was a huge student section, a packed house, and it came down to the final match. It was the type of home event a coach and their team dream about.”