By: David Loughran ’16
Staff Writer

Among the new faces at Peddie is English teacher and JV football coach Tim Hedges. Officially, this is Hedges’ first coaching position, but he is no stranger to the game.

When Hedges was young, his father was a high school football and basketball coach.

“My father was a big role model for me, and he influenced me in a lot of ways,” Hedges said. “He taught me the importance of doing things the right way, and taught me to never cut corners. I didn’t completely appreciate his lessons when I was young, but I definitely do now.”

Hedges began playing football in high school, and then continued playing in college, where he was captain of the Sprint Football team at Cornell University. At Cornell, Hedges earned four varsity letters, two while playing receiver and two while playing quarterback, and in addition, he was named the league MVP his senior season. Since college, however, Hedges has not had much to do with football.

“This year has been kind of like visiting a foreign country where I haven’t spoken the language for 16 years. I’m rusty, but I’m getting by,” Hedges said.

While only being at Peddie for a short amount of time, Hedges has already embraced the Peddie spirit and community.

“Peddie is intense, but the work ethic and the caliber of students we have here at Peddie is really impressive. Everyone is eager to learn, and determined to be better in everything they do,” Hedges said.

“My experiences at Peddie so far have been great,” said Hedges. “My favorite part about teaching and coaching at Peddie is getting to know all the kids, because everyone has a story, and everyone is so unique. I now know why Peddie seems like such an incredible place.”