Where Are They Now'
December 06, 2006 | Wrestling
Tom Clum, a native of Arvada, Colo., wrestled at Wisconsin from 2001-06. In his five years as a Badger, Clum was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American. At the NCAA championships his freshman season, Clum placed one win shy of All-American honors at 133 lbs. The following year he competed at 125 lbs., capturing the Big Ten crown and returned to the championships. His junior season he placed third at the national tournament for his first All-America honors. As a senior tri-captain he placed fifth at the NCAA championships and tallied and notched his second Big Ten title, first at 133 lbs.
Clum's younger brother Danny, a transfer from Wyoming, currently wrestles at Wisconsin. In addition, his sister Carrie recently married fellow former Badger wrestler Kelly Flaherty.
Where are you living and working now '
I am living in Madison still and finishing up my last class for my degree. I am wrestling and coaching as the USA Wisconsin Wrestling Club Coach.
How has your academic experience and/or your degree from UW assisted you in your chosen career'
I majored in Ag Business Management. Since I am still wrestling and coaching I haven't entered into the business field yet, but I eventually plan on moving back to Colorado and being a real estate appraiser. Obviously the skills I learned while attending school at Madison will dramatically help me out later in life.
What is your favorite memory from being at Wisconsin '
Probably Christmas break the last few years. We wrestled twice a day and spent a lot of time together as a team in between practices. Life couldn't have been better for those few weeks.
What was the best thing about being a Badger '
Being in the whole atmosphere in Madison was probably the best thing about being a Badger. The wrestling community in Wisconsin was also very nice to be around. There are a lot of dedicated fans and down to earth people that I got to spend time with.
What life lessons did you learn during college '
"College" didn't teach me as many life lessons as our coaches did. Being in college and a part of the wrestling team exposes you to quite a few experiences. Having coaches who were as concerned for us as people as well as wrestlers showed me an example of the type of coach I'd like to be someday.
What was your favorite class at Wisconsin '
I didn't have a favorite class. My major consisted of a lot of economics and business classes. I took a Business Law class that will have the most relevance later in life. I enjoyed that class as much as any other and got a lot out of it.
What was your favorite part of campus' Where did you spend most of your time'
I spent all of my time either at home or in the wrestling room. I made some really close friends on the team and was pretty content to relax at home if I wasn't at practice. Outside of school and wrestling I managed to deer hunt quite a bit in October, and turkey hunt in the spring.
What advice would you give current student-athletes '
You only got one chance to play sports in college, so enjoy the competition. Do things right, you'll have a lot more satisfaction knowing you did all that was within your control, rather than wondering if you could have been better "if...".
