If there is anything former Tullahoma Wildcat football player Brandon Painter has shown and proven to be a worthwhile objective it is this: “keep moving forward.”
Painter played middle linebacker on the team that rallied its way to the title of state champions. The feat made history as it was Tullahoma High School’s first-ever TSSAA Class 4A State Championship football title. Painter expressed what it felt like playing at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga on game day. He shared, “Supposedly, Tullahoma and Elizabethton had sold the most tickets out of all the games played that weekend, and it showed. It was breathtaking being on the field and feeling supported by our community like that. It was an amazing experience.”
Painter continued, “I think the game meant a lot to not only the team and the coaches but also the community we’re in. In some ways, I feel like it meant more to the community than it did to the players. Football brings our community together as a whole, and I can see where it gives the community something that they can get involved with and take pride in.”
Though Tullahoma sports teams have always had an overwhelming amount of support from the community, there were many times in Painter’s athletic career where it was an audience of one. During Painter’s junior year of high school he had a severe injury. He shared, “I tore my ACL junior year.” This painful and devastating injury put Painter on the sidelines for some time.
However, as soon as his doctors cleared him, Painter was out on the field conditioning, practicing, and doing whatever he could to recover and heal. During the COVID shutdown, most days Painter was out on the field pushing a sled all by himself. His goal was to keep pushing forward to return to his team stronger and better than ever. And he did just that. Painter was able to rejoin his team as a starter during senior year, becoming a vital part of it.
The young man that faced many heartaches and setbacks during his adolescent years, including losing his father in sixth grade, has gained a special grit. He has preserved through loss and devastation. Yet he has only allowed those things to make him better. He embodies the Tullahoma Wildcat’s coined phrase: GRIT (Greatness, Relentless, Intensity, and Toughness.) These characteristics, now built into his DNA, will accompany him as he proceeds in his educational pursuits at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU.)
Painter disclosed that he would be studying aerospace technology and engineering at the university. He shared, “I had a few offers from Division III schools, but I declined them to pursue an education at Middle Tennessee State University. Most of the schools did not offer what I really wanted to study, so that played a big role in my decision. In the end, I decided I wanted to focus on education before football, so I committed to Middle Tennessee. However, I will be trying out for MTSU’s football team this spring as a walk-on, as I feel like my job’s not done yet. I want to keep playing football.” GN
