Hampton-Dumont Alum and Hampton-Dumont-CAL Boys Wrestling Coach Patrick Hansen announced he will be departing the program following 13 years of service. The decision was approved by the Hampton-Dumont school board this Spring.
“It’s been a dream job. The people, the administration, just everybody involved in Hampton-Dumont sports and with the wrestling has been amazing. I got a lot of kids and it’s gonna hurt to leave them,” says Hansen. “Sometimes you gotta make decisions with your head, not your heart, that’s kind of where we’re at right now. I wish everybody nothing but the best and I’ll always be a Bulldog, that’s for sure.”
Hansen in addition to coaching at the high school, also taught physical education at Hampton’s South Side Elementary School.
Hansen on his mission as a coach and educator.
“I have a love for the development of people in general. That’s why I do it. The moments when these kids are succeeding and accomplishing goals that they didn’t ever think they could. To see our fans and everybody get behind them. They see them struggling, they see them going through these hard things. To see them succeed, put in the hard work, keep showing up, and then it starts to turn out in the right direction for them. That’s what it’s all about to me.”
Hansen at H-D-CAL coached 22 individual North Central Conference tournament champions and 41 individual state qualifiers. The Bulldogs also won a pair of North Central Conference dual titles during his tenure.
Hansen on the next chapter of Bulldog wrestling.
“With the kids coming back again, I know there will be some good coaches involved still. Colin’s young. He’s a hard worker. He’s a lot like myself, I’d say. I want them to make their own way and put their own spin on doing it. When I came into being the head coach, how can I continue the tradition, while at the same time making new traditions or changing to make things better. That’s something I did probably every single year. I just hope that everybody keeps developing. I hope we keep progressing. I hope we stay in the Donny Brook tournament and I just hope to see everybody down the road at the state tournament.”
Hansen is pursuing a masters degree in education and will begin his next chapter at Southeast Polk this Fall. There he will be working with 8th and 9th grade students as a special education behavioral interventionist. Hansen alongside his wife also plans to help teach drivers education. He also plans to continue coaching in the near future.
The new head coach of H-D-CAL boys wrestling will be Colin Muller starting this Fall.
