GIVING BACK
After hanging up his whistle, Dench decided he wanted to give back.
Dench, who is in his 51st year of teaching, has spent the past couple of decades at Floyd Central and Jeffersonville.
At Jeff, he started a school-system wide radio-TV program from scratch. He built it into an innovator. Jeffersonville was the first high school in Kentucky and Southern Indiana to use instant replay during live TV broadcasts and the first to use live, multi-cameras for football games.
ANTHONY“ TONY” KESSINGER, LEFT, GOES THROUGH A MOVE DURING PRACTICE WHILE TIM DENCH, RIGHT, INSTRUCTS HIM WHERE TO BE.
“ When I was at Jeffersonville, if that( wrestling) tournament started at 9 a. m. and lasted until 6 p. m., then we were there all nine hours,” Dench said.“ One year we did elementary, middle school, freshman, junior varsity, varsity and an open tournament under Danny Struck. We covered boys’ and girls’ volleyball, and anything in that gymnasium. If we have the wiring to do it, then we’ ll cover it, everybody has the right to be covered in their sports.”
Along with shaping the lives of future journalists, he was named the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Media Person of the Year for 2025.
“ This means more than what you would think,” Dench said.“ I was twice the KHSAA’ s Coach of the Year and I would put that right up there with that. Because a lot of people don’ t realize how much work it takes to cover all wrestling and to sit there for those hours. That recognizes we were doing something.”
TIM DENCH WRESTLES AGAINST ANTHONY“ TONY” KESSINGER WHILE KESSINGER’ S YOUNGER BROTHER MAX KESSINGER WATCHES. ANTHONY“ TONY” KESSINGER IS A JUNIOR FOR THE HIGHLANDERS WHILE MAX KESSINGER IS AN EIGHTH GRADER AT HIGHLAND HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
“ WRESTLING IS A SPORT THAT CAN GIVE YOU THAT MENTAL OR PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS TO OVERCOME.”
PAGE NO. 18 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE NOV / DEC 2025