Ulric Winesburgh has been named the new head wrestling coach for the Soddy Daisy Trojans. Among those pictured, from left to right, are Jared Hensley, Soddy Daisy athletic director, Winesburgh and Trojan principal Steve Henry.
photo by John Hunt
Ulric Winesburgh is a 2007 graduate of Soddy Daisy High School where he was an individual state champion on a team of Trojans that won a state wrestling title as well.
He learned a lot from then-head coach Steve Henry and decided at that point that being the head coach for his alma mater would be his dream job.
The 30-year-old UTC graduate is about to get his chance.
Soddy Daisy has been among the state powerhouses in wrestling for a long time as the Trojans have captured seven state titles since 1989, including four duals titles and three traditional ones.
Jim Higgins was promoted to head coach a few years ago when Henry moved into an administrative role. Higgins was then named the Soddy Daisy baseball coach when then-coach Jared Hensley got promoted.
Brad Laxton, who was a successful head coach at East Ridge before joining the Soddy Daisy staff as an assistant, was then named the head man for wrestling and has served in that capacity for the past two years.
The quality of Soddy Daisy’s program has dropped in recent years, being no fault of Laxton, and that’s when Henry and Hensley decided to take necessary steps to make a change.
Winesburgh has been an assistant wrestling coach at Hixson in recent years, but his name was among the first to emerge when talk of making a change began.
“This has been my dream job since I graduated from high school,” said Winesburgh, who graduated from UTC in 2016 with a health and PE degree.
“Wrestling means a lot to me and my family and I’m thrilled to get this opportunity. I’m ready to get the ball rolling and to get this program back to the power it used to be. Right now, I have more questions than answers, but we’ll see what happens.
“It’s time to hit the ground running. I have some really good people to help me and I’ve learned from some great coaches in the past. I need to be realistic about my expectations, but we just have to be able to compete with teams like Cleveland and Bradley.
“I know what I want to do, but we have to make it fun for everyone involved. The bond between coaches and wrestlers is invaluable. I haven’t had the chance to talk to these kids in person and I’m not sure about my assistant coaches right now, but I’m sure all of that will be taken care of in time,” Winesburgh added.
Henry feels good about Soddy Daisy’s newest coach.
“Ulric has been at Hixson as an assistant for a few years and has done an outstanding job. I know that wrestling is down in the Chattanooga area, but we have to get our program back on track. Brad wants to help out any way he can, but he’d rather be an assistant than a head coach right now.
“I love Ulric. He’s done a good job everywhere he’s been and he’s passionate about the sport. We just have to let him get to work,” the popular Soddy Daisy principal added.
Laxton was the Soddy Daisy head coach for two years after serving as an assistant for five. He was the head man at East Ridge for three years before that. He’s thrilled about the latest move.
“We’ve always tried to get as many good coaches as possible, but I’m all for this and really excited for Ulric,” Laxton expressed by phone.
“I’m still planning to be involved in any capacity he wants, but I’m not as young as I used to be and I too need to spend more time with my kids. Coaching wrestling takes a special drive and I’m not sure I have it these days as it’s a young man’s game.
“I told Ulric that I’m in his corner and that I’ll do whatever I can to help. I love Soddy Daisy High School and want to do whatever is best for all involved,” Laxton concluded.
Winesburgh transferred to Soddy Daisy from Central and was a state champ at 135 pounds in 2007 after taking third as a junior. He was an assistant under Shane Turner at Red Bank when the Lions won a state duals title in 2016 and was the head coach the next year when Jonah Bird won a state title.
Winesburg has been teaching World History, but he also has a Masters degree in Special Education. His wife is named Alexy and they are the parents of three children ages 7, 10 and 12.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)