Tom Esslinger (middle) has been named the new Head Track & Field coach at Hewitt Trussville HS. - photo Homewood Track&Field Twitter.
On May 14, 2020 Tom Esslinger was approved as a teacher and Head Varsity Track and Field Coach at Hewitt-Trussville. Esslinger has been teaching and coaching at Homewood High School since the fall of 2005 where he served as the Track and Field and Cross Country Program Director and Head Track and Field Coach.
During his tenure at Homewood, the Patriots won 31 State Championships in Cross Country and Track and Field. Esslinger was named the 2017 Girls Track and Field National Coach of the Year and was also honored as the Girls Track and Field South Coach of the Year by NFHS. Tom has also been named Alabama Track and Field Coach of the Year four times, twice by the NFHS and twice by the USTFCCCA. Esslinger was a coach for the U.S. Navy Team for the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs in 2014.
Coach Esslinger said, "I have such tremendous respect for Coach Dobbs and the track and field program he built. I am so excited for the opportunity to build on the momentum of the program and help Hewitt-Trussville athletes reach their full potential. I am extremely thankful to get the chance to be a part of the extraordinary athletic department, school, and community in Trussville, and I can't wait to meet the student-athletes and get to work."
Trussville City Schools Athletics Director Lance Walker stated, "I first want to thank Coach David Dobbs for his commitment to HT Track and Field. He is a well respected coach who has built this program into what it is today. I am thrilled that he is staying with us as the Cross Country coach and Assistant Track and Field coach. When Coach Dobbs and I began talking about the future, we were both committed to finding the best possible individual to lead the program into the future. We are thrilled that Coach Esslinger is joining the Husky family. He has a proven track record of success and I have been impressed with his character and passion. We are all excited about working together to make our program the best that it can be."
CoachDavid Dobbsstated, "I have known, and coached against, Tom Esslinger for many years and have always known that we have very similar coaching philosophies. I have watched him develop from an outstanding athlete in high school and college to an outstanding coach. We are very fortunate to have him come to Hewitt-Trussville High School. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport ensures the continued success of the program for many years to come. I'm excited to work with him as he takes over the helm of the track and field program. The Huskies welcome Coach Esslinger."
Prior to earning his Master's degree in Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Esslinger graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Alabama with a degree in Political Science. At the University of South Alabama Esslinger was an All-Conference Decathlete in 2001 and 2003 in the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference, earned the Perseverance Award for Courage and Character in Athletics, won the Most Outstanding Student in Political Science Award, and was selected to the Verizon Academic All-District IV Team for NCAA Track & Field. Esslinger was a 1998 graduate of Scottsboro High School where he was an AAU All-American in the decathlon and was All-State multiple times. His father John Esslinger coached him in high school and is in the AHSAA Hall of Fame for winning 46 state championships. Tom lives in Homewood with his wife Amanda, who is an administrator at Homewood High School, and their two sons John (12) and Will (9).