Tom Pierson: Great cyclist, great coach, great man – to be honored this weekend

Donna Pierson misses her husband dearly. After all, she and Tom had been married for 51 years and together 56 before he passed last month. He was 76 years old.

Pierson was a popular and longtime wrestling coach – and frequent cyclist.

“He was a fantastic rider, where he’d do 300 miles a week for years and years because he loved cycling,” Donna said.

In fact, back in the day Tom would cycle with Christian Vande Velde’s father, John, in Chicago, where he grew up.

In recent years, Tom – and a few others like his former athletes (football players and wrestlers) – would go to events and ride. Bike the Bay in San Diego and El Tour de Tucson were regular rides for the group.

“I can’t remember the first year he did El Tour, but a bunch of his wrestlers would come in from all over the United States and ride with him,” Donna said. “He loved the challenge of it. He loved that it’s very organized. There are a variety of course rides and it was available to kids. We’re teachers so we know when you start them young (cycling), we can keep them going and it’s a life-long skill. And you don’t have to be a pro to ride in it.”

He loved training in it, riding in what was about 20 El Tours. After all, it was in Tucson in his backyard.

What made it extra special was when his former athletes joined him on the ride. Donna would make a carb-fueled dinner the night before for the group to get them ready for the 100-mile-plus ride the next morning.

She called it “the boys weekend” and Tom’s “dream come true” in having everyone together.

“It was just so much fun,” Donna said. “They’d do a great job the next day.”

Tom was so good at what he did with his athletes that he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2017, was part of the Sahuaro High School Hall of Fame and Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.

“Coach P was the first coach I had at Sahuaro,” said Jay Dobyns. “He demanded hard work and discipline, and he walked the walk living the same as he expected. He was a tough coach but you always knew he loved you and his players. We loved him back.”

Coach P was so beloved they’re going to have the: Coach Tom Pierson Tribute Ride on Sept. 21 (this weekend). It’s a casual 15-mile ride. The meetup will be at Sahuaro High’s main parking lot beginning at 10 a.m. The ride’s start will be at 10:30 a.m. where they will ride to Sahuaro National Park and back. There will be a post-ride gathering at Uncorked (6300 E. Tanque Verde) at 12:30 p.m. Andy Hanshaw is the organizer. He’s also a former wrestler who was coached by Pierson. He’s also the event director at Bike the Bay in San Diego.

“We reconnected through bicycling,” Andy said of his time with Pierson. “It was a special thing.”

They rode with “Coach” for the last 12-16 years in El Tour.

“He was an all-round road cyclist who liked going out there for a bunch of miles,” Andy said. “He loved riding with others. He was a fun person … always. He was also a coach so he was competitive and intense. But that’s his DNA.”

He will be missed, no doubt.

There will be a service for him on Saturday, Sept. 20 at St. Pius X Catholic Church (1800 Camino Pio Decimo).