2009 National Wrestling Hall of Fame- Virginia Chapter Inductee
After nearly 30 years as VMI's head wrestling coach, John Trudgeon was named Assistant to the Athletic Director for Internal Operations in April of 2013.
Trudgeon took the reins of the Keydet wrestling program in 1985, and led the team to many notable achievements through his time coaching the Keydet mat technicians. Among those were six top-12 finishers at the NCAA Championships, including a fourth-place finish by 142-pounder Charlie Branch (1994) and a sixth-place effort by heavyweight Leslie Apedoe (1999), both of whom earned All-American honors. 157-pounder Adam Britt also finished in the NCAA's top 12, doing so in 2002.
Trudgeon also saw his team earned votes in the Amateur Wrestling News Top 25 Coaches' poll at the conclusion of the 1995-96 season. The Keydets would win SoCon titles in 1995, 1997 and 1999, and during that time, had a stretch of 12 wins in 13 duals against SoCon opponents and a 14-match winning streak. After the stretch of three SoCon Titles in five years, the Keydets returned to prominence in 2002 and 2003, finishing second in the League both years.
During his 27 seasons as head coach, Trudgeon recorded a dual record of 155-205-4. He was a four-time SoCon Coach of the Year - 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2000 - and a three-time Virginia Coach of the Year honoree, 1993, 1994 and 2004. 4 and 2004.
Trudgeon was recognized by his peers when he was inducted into the Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April 2009. A 1975 graduate of William & Mary with a B.S. in physical education, Trudgeon was a three-year starter for the Tribe and qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament his senior season.
He came to VMI after serving as head wrestling coach at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Va., for eight seasons. During his tenure, his squads won district titles in 1982 and 1983, and placed third in the Virginia AAA tournament in 1982. He was the Peninsula District Coach of the Year in 1982, and coached six AAA state champions. Trudgeon worked on his masters in education from East Stroudsburg University in 1985. He and his wife, Cathy, who is the staff education coordinator at Stonewall Jackson Hospital, are the parents of Joshua, age 17.
