WHEN THE buzzer sounded, head coach Jason Welch grinned ear to ear as the Tullahoma Wildcats basketball players rushed onto the court, colliding in hugs, celebrating their punched ticket to the state championship and 32nd win of the 2025 season — the most in the school’s history. Emotions ran high. Not everyone anticipated such a feat. Welch cherished the win much more as he remembered facing a possible life-or-death situation just months prior.
The Manchester native’s life had always revolved around sports. Since the seventh grade, Welch knew he wanted to coach basketball. After graduating from college with a degree in education, he spent more than two decades coaching basketball programs across Tennessee before joining Tullahoma High School in 2019. Along the way, he married his wife of over 30 years, Angela, who also teaches at the school. Together, they have two grown children, Cameron and Abi.
Heading into his sixth season as Tullahoma’s head coach, Welch participated in a triathlon with his son in Huntsville during August 2024. While swimming in a pool for the race, he felt an unsettling tightness in his chest that he quickly brushed off as a one-time occurrence. However, the small episode turned into a larger one on Sept. 5, when he suddenly collapsed while running. That’s when he knew something was wrong.
A visit to a cardiologist revealed he needed triple bypass surgery — or a coronary artery bypass graft — so he underwent the operation a week later.
“It was like I was on a slippery slope,” Welch recalled. “It’s just like I kept going to the next level. It kept getting worse. Honestly, I prayed about it. I gave it to the Lord and let Him have it. I knew that it would all work out.”
The procedure was a success, and Welch returned to coaching on Oct. 17 — though in a limited capacity — just in time for the start of basketball practice in November 2024.
Those recovery days were slow, but his family, school, and Wildcats team ensured he never lacked support. His son became his assistant coach, making the season even more special, while the players spent the school year looking out for their head coach.
“The kids really took care of me this year. They won’t let me do anything anymore. They carry everything [and] do everything. I guess I went from being that old coach to just being a really old man that they don’t want to fall over,” Welch said, laughing.
The special bond and hard work carried the Wildcats to a historic 32-5 record, shattering the school’s previous record of 24 victories as they won the district and region tournaments. The school had never won a game in the state tournament’s final eight. But in March 2025, coach Welch led the past two teams to the state tournament at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center — beating Jackson South Side by 20 points and Fayette-Ware by nine.
Unfortunately, the team fell short in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Class 3A State Championship game against the Upperman Bees, finishing as the runner-up. But when they arrived home, they were greeted with a winner’s welcome.
In many ways, Welch became the heart of the team in 2025, as players and staff worked together to create an unforgettable season and now look ahead to continued success in 2026.
“Persistence pays off,” Welch said. “It’s amazing how loving people are and how caring people are. Sometimes you get so cynical. You watch the news, and you’re like, ‘Oh, the world is terrible.’ Well, my community is not terrible. Tullahoma is not terrible. I felt overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love from everybody.”
For the head coach, that’s the Tullahoma way. GN
