As an 8th grader, Tom Lehman was encouraged to wrestle by his English teacher in order to keep him out of trouble. This diversion lead to great success for Lehman, whose wrestling abilities helped Owosso High School to win three conference chnmpionships. Lehman qualified for the State Class A tournament three years and became a state champion in 1967. While attending Western Michigan University, Lehman was a starter for their wrestling team for two seasons. During his senior year he placed second in the MAC. In 1972 Lehman began his career as a teacher and wrestling coach at Thornapple Kellogg High School. Prior to Lehman's presence, TK's wrestling team had never won a dual meet. Under his leadership,Thornapple Kellogg's wrestling team has won seventeen conference championships (14-straight from 1991-2004), nine regional championships and placed second at the state championships twice. In 1996, Lehman's team won the team State Championship. He was named Coach of the Year in 1995, 1996 and 2002. Lehman was voted Mid-West Region National Coach of the Year in 1996, and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year. Lehman has played an active role in the MWA. He has served as Director and Tournament Manager for the Michigan High School State Wrestling Tournament for the 11 years the tournament was held at Thornapple Kellogg High School. Lehman has been the Director of the Junior National Wrestling Team for 24 years and was the Team Leader and Coach of the 2002 USA Greco-Roman National Champions.