Tahoma wrestling coach Brian Higa has been announced as a 2014 inductee into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Higa has been part of the Tahoma wrestling program since 1984. He was the head coach for the Bears from 1984 until the 2001 season. As the head coach, his team’s placed in the top 8 at state over ten straight years, including two AA state championships in 1991 and 1996.

Higa coached 53 State place winners including 12 state championships. Many of his wrestlers went on to wrestle in college. Some of the most notable champions that Higa coached were three-time state champions Ricky Christian and Zhon Kuraspediani, two-time state champion Jens Pulver, and Higa’s first finalist, Mark Bonthius. All of these wrestlers went on to compete in college.

Coach Higa has been selected as the league coach of the year five times, and in 1991 was selected as the AA Washington State Coach of the Year. He was also nominated as Washington State Coach of the Year to the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1996. The Tahoma teams had a league dual meet record 85-42-1, and an overall record of 141-87-1 over his 17 seasons.

Since stepping down as the head coach after the 2001 season, Higa has served as the middle school head coach, and an assistant at the high school for the Tahoma program. Higa is a middle school math teacher at Tahoma Middle School.