Tony Champion was named the first head coach in the history of Southern Oregon University women’s wrestling in February of 2015, a few weeks after the school announced the addition of the sport.
Champion, who was a three-time national champ in his wrestling days at Portland State, served as the head coach at Ashland High the previous three years. A member of the Portland State Athletics Hall of Fame, he was a part of two NCAA Division II title teams and an All-American four times
At Ashland High, he brought five female wrestlers onto the team last season and started this season with seven. Among the 2013-14 group was Sadie Bailey, who won a state championship and is currently a wrestler and soccer player at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
"I think getting this job is an absolute great honor, and I'm very humbled by it," Champion said. "I also think SOU is a spot that can be a springboard for women's wrestling. There's definitely a market and I believe it's going to expand exponentially in the future."
Among other schools in the region that have recently added women's wrestling are Menlo (Calif.), Pacific (Ore.), Simon Fraser (B.C.) and Warner Pacific (Ore.). Women's wrestling is not yet an NAIA-sponsored activity but is one of the fastest growing sports in intercollegiate athletics.
"I've taken the same mentality that I use to train boys and implemented it with females," Champion said. "They appreciate being given that same respect, especially in what's been such a male-dominant sport. In my experience, they've all felt like they have something to prove and usually work harder than most of the boys because of it."
Champion said he hopes to get 12 to 15 wrestlers on the roster in his first year and up to 30 a few years down the road.
Champion also works as a commodity broker at ICCI in Medford. He is engaged to be married to Sami Jo Hile and has two daughters: Madison, a sophomore at the University of Missouri, and McKenzie, a senior at Archbishop O'Hara High in Kansas City, Mo.