By Josh Galvin ’13
THE ROUNDUP

When one pictures a math teacher, a burly, tattooed man like Mr. Brad Frank typically does not come to mind.

“I got my first tattoo in college, when I was wrestling at ASU,” Mr. Frank said.

Mr. Frank is living proof that math can be applied in any field of work. As head wrestling coach and math teacher of five years, he said his contrasting roles on campus tie together.

“We utilize geometry in holds… (using) degrees and angles,” Mr. Frank said.

He puts his full effort in each of his teaching aspects, as varsity wrestler Connor Devereux ’11 attested.

“I consider him the best coach in the state, bar none,” Devereux said. “He has a history of improving and maintaining programs of excellent schools all around the valley.” Devereux has wrestled under Mr. Frank since seventh grade.

Mr. Frank’s coaching method is an integral part of what makes the wrestlers work as a team even in an individual sport.

As a general rule of thumb, he trains his wrestlers in two distinct areas.

“We emphasize in being in better shape than our opponents, and we mainly concentrate on taking people down. Two main things we focus on: conditioning and takedowns,” Mr. Frank said.

Within this realm, he hones each wrestler’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing the students to develop unique wrestling styles.

“As a coach he is very close to his athletes … he gets to know each person individually,” Devereux said.

As such, Mr. Frank has created a tight-knit team and shared one particular hobby with his wrestlers.

“Something that most people may not know about coach Frank is that aside from wrestling he also has a passion for fashion design,” Devereux said. “He has come into practice with different sketches of suits and ties.”