COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech football coach Watson Brown has made a pair of assignment changes within his coaching staff. Jim Hensel will serve as the Director of Football Culture and Operations, following one season as an assistant coach, while Price Partrick has been named as an assistant coach after serving one season in the role of student assistant coach.
Jim Hensel, 46, joined the Tennessee Tech coaching staff in the spring of 2014. As the Director of Football Culture and Operations he works directly with the Tech student-athletes, to develop them as individuals, intellectually and socially. His assignments are diverse and include overseeing some football operations and community relations responsibilities. In 2014 as an assistant coach, Hensel worked with the Tech specialists (kickers, punters, snappers, and holders).
“Jim is working in an area for us that I feel is a real missing piece within college athletics. He’ll be doing the things he has expertise in,” Brown said. “I’m really excited to have him here.”
Hensel came to Tech after three years as the Player Development and Culture Coach at the University of Northern Colorado.
Over the last decade, he has directed the Strength and Honor Code Foundation and authored the “Pathway to Purpose,” a process designed to help individuals, coaches, businesses, and teams define themselves. The process creates tools by identifying core values, putting philosophy into language, and developing an authentic culture to help reach full potential on the field and in life.
A native of Loveland, Colo., Hensel graduated from Loveland High School in 1987. He was a four-time letterwinner and a four-year starter at cornerback at the University of Northern Colorado before earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in coaching in 1992.
Hensel and his wife, Kristen (Larimore), have three children: daughters Taylor (22) and Brittni (20), and a son, Lawson (17).
Partrick, 23, will work with Tech’s wide receivers, and help alongside offensive coordinator Steven Brown as an offensive assistant coach. The native of Chattanooga will also assist with video breakdowns of the Golden Eagles and opponents.
The role of assistant coach for Partrick comes after spending one season on the Golden Eagle coaching staff in the role of a student assistant. He originally came to Tech as a wide receiver in 2012 but injuries put an early end to his promising playing career.
A member of the Golden Eagle roster in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Partrick took a roundabout route to Tech. He played as a wide receiver at The Citadel for the 2010-11 season, a shoulder injury sidelined him, and he sat out the season as a redshirt. He returned to his hometown where he spent the 2011 season enrolled at UT Chattanooga while rehabbing his shoulder, then came to Tech in January 2012.
He suffered another shoulder injury during 2012 spring drills and had surgery, which forced him out of action for the 2012 campaign. He returned to the field for the 2013 season, seeing playing time in the first three games of the year, but a third injury required additional surgery, putting an end to his playing career. He decided to make the move to the coaching ranks, and started with the 2014 spring drills as a student assistant.
A versatile athlete, Price lettered in both football and golf at Baylor High School in Chattanooga prior to his collegiate career. He received his bachelor's degree in 2014 from Tech in EXPW/fitness and wellness.
“Price is a former player for us, and we’re excited to have him as a part of our program,” Brown said. “He understands our system, he knows our players and he will be an asset as a member of our staff.”
The Golden Eagles are currently in the middle of spring drills, with a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, April 11, at 1:30 p.m. The sessions will wrap up on Saturday, April 18, with the annual Purple vs. Gold Spring Game, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
