King University men’s wrestling head coach Deral Brown announced his resignation to take the same position at his alma mater, Newberry College.
“While I’m sorry to see Deral leave, I’m excited for this opportunity for him to return to his alma mater,” director of athletics David Hicks said. “Newberry knows they are getting an outstanding coach. In just two years, Deral made a significant impact on King and our wrestling program. He continued our strong tradition of success and has built on that success. He did what great coaches do, he took something good and made it better.”
Over the last two years under Brown’s tutelage, the Tornado had five individuals qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. Last season freshman Christian Small garnered All-America honors under Brown’s guidance. In dual matches, the Tornado finished 5-4 a season ago, one year after going 3-9. In 2020-21, the Tornado finished fourth in the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas standings.
“As I reflect on my time at King, I am grateful for each and every athlete that I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach,” Brown said. “I have grown to care for this program deeply over the last two seasons, and my resignation is not a decision that I came to lightly. However, I leave confident that the 2021-22 men’s team is positioned to continue rolling full steam ahead. Thank you to David Hicks, Jason Moorman, and King University for the opportunity to continue the already established tradition of success within our men’s wrestling program. Thank you to my guys for your buy-in, hard work, dedication. I wish each of you success on the mat, in the classroom, and in life.”
Brown’s last day on campus will be Sept. 28.
