Inducted 2022

Baylor’s only, and one of Tennessee’s two, five-time state wrestling champions, Zach Watson '12 was an easy pick for the Baylor Sports Hall of Fame. He won the 103-pound title as an eighth grader and added crowns at 112, 119, 125, and 126 in subsequent years. Raider teams led by Watson won traditional state championships in 2008, 2010, and 2011 and added duals titles in 2009 and 2011. Off the mat, Watson chaired the Honor Council, was vice-president of The Round Table, and was a member of the National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society.

In 2012, Watson was the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps Wrestler of the Year and the Best of Preps Male Athlete of the Year. He was also chosen for the Alexander Guerry Award, was Baylor’s Most Outstanding Athlete and top Scholar Athlete, and was given special recognition for being the school’s first and only five-time state champion. He was chosen All-American by the National High School Coaches Association in ’09, ’10, ’11, and ’12.

Watson went on the earn three varsity wrestling letters at the University of Virginia, making the ACC Academic Honor Roll three times. He was president of the UVA Athletics Honor Council in 2014-15 and was inducted into the AAU wrestling Hall of Fame in 2022.