Fowlerville will head into the wrestling postseason without Dan Coon as its head coach for the first time since 2009.
Coon resigned from his position in January.
“I resigned when a couple of parents were not letting their son be held accountable for his actions,” Coon said in a text to the Livingston Daily.
In an email sent to parents, students and community members in Fowlerville, Athletic Director Jeff Finney announced the resignation.
“Coach Coon has been a pillar of the Fowlerville wrestling community for more than 25 years,” Finney wrote. “During his tenure, he led the program to numerous successes, including a state championship in 1994 and a state runner-up finish in 2025.
“We are deeply grateful for Coach Coon’s many years of service and his unwavering commitment to Fowlerville High School Wrestling. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
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Neither Coon nor Finney commented further.
Bret Shrader, who has been the head coach for football and track and field at Fowlerville, is the Gladiators’ new head coach. Shrader was the Class B state champion at 171 pounds as a senior in 1994 and a member of Fowlerville’s state championship team that season. He went 30-5 as a senior, despite knee surgery around Christmas, and 110-24 during his career.
Shrader was coached by Coon, who was in his 26th season over two stints leading Fowlerville’s wrestlers.
Coon is a member of the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the state wrestling coaches’ Hall of Fame.
Fowlerville is hoping to return to the team state finals after finishing as runner-up to perennial powerhouse Lowell in Division 2 last season. The Gladiators are ranked No. 14 in Division 2. They have five state-ranked boys and three state-ranked girls.
Fowlerville will host a team district on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The Gladiators will host Lansing Eastern at 5:30 p.m. in a district semifinal. The winner will face Williamston or Haslett for the district championship.
The Gladiators will then compete in individual districts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Williamston. The girls will wrestle in individual districts at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at Howell.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Hall of Famer Dan Coon no longer coaching wrestling at Fowlerville
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
