Where Are They Now: Tom Fehring
6/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 28, 2011
This article was originally published in the June 11 edition of Gold Rush.
In each issue of Gold Rush, "Where Are They Now" features former Wake Forest student-athletes. This issue highlights Dr. Thomas K. Fehring, a former football player. A three-year letterwinner, Fehring was named to the 1973 All-ACC Academic Team, led the team in receptions in 1974 and received both the ACC Scholarship Award and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1975.
When did you graduate from Wake Forest?
1976
What was your major/or minor?
Business was my major. However, I took multiple-related courses in preparation for medical school.
What does being a Demon Deacon mean to you?
If you're a Deacon, you learn how to overcome adversity. You recognize that certain stereotypes such as size really don't matter in life. Being a Deacon makes one realize that with hard work and initiative you can overcome almost anything. It's a David and Goliath thing.
Why are you still involved in Wake Forest athletics?
Being a Wake Forest alumnus is a lifelong commitment to the university as well as to the athletic programs. That's why I'm a Deacon Club member. I also helped establish the Doc Martin Sports Medicine Endowment Fund. This fund was established to honor Doc Martin, who was the head athletic trainer for more than two decades at Wake. This fund will help fulfill the pressing needs of Wake's Sports Medicine Department and improve the healthcare of our student athletes.
Why do you feel it is important to give back to the University?
I feel it is important to give back to any institution that has had a significant influence on your life. Wake Forest is one of those places that helped mold me in a very positive way. A Wake Forest education gave me a solid base, enabling me to accomplish my academic and professional goals.
What is your current occupation?
I am an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement. I am co-director of the OrthoCarolina Hip and Knee Center, vice president of the Knee Society and vice president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons.
What is your favorite memory of your time at Wake Forest?
That's an easy question. While beating Duke, NC State and Carolina my senior year were football high points, I must say that my favorite memory at Wake Forest was meeting my wife, Anne, on the quad during my senior year.
What makes you most proud of Wake Forest?
The thing that makes me most proud is that Wake Forest competes not only academically but athletically with schools that have much higher enrollments and greater resources.
When you come back to Wake Forest, you always...
Walk around the quad.
I was there when...
Wake Forest won the national championship in men's golf and right after they won the ACC Championship in football for the first time.
Who was your favorite coach at Wake Forest, current or past?
I was recruited to Wake Forest by Cal Stoll, who had just coached Wake's first ACC football championship. I was very disappointed when he left; however I was fortunate that the next coaching regime under Chuck Mills was sensitive to the needs of student-athletes. I was always allowed to attend science labs, which were usually held in the afternoon and conflicted on occasion with practice. As a former football player, it's hard not to respect the job that Coach Grobe is now doing at Wake Forest. He has had a significant positive effect on Wake's football program.