Boys Hockey: Wausau West hockey head coach Travis Brown, 2025-26 WHCA Coach of the Year, steps away from position.

Wausau West hockey head coach Travis Brown has resigned after one season in the position due to a health concern. Brown, who led the Warriors to a 24-2 record last season and was named the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year, informed the West hockey community of his decision this past week.

In a letter, Brown discussed why he felt this was the best decision for the program and himself. In 2022, the coach suffered a detached retina in his right eye and lost vision after five failed surgeries. He was able to adjust and continue coaching but, this March, suffered a partial tear of the retina in his left eye that has caused change in his vision. Brown said in his letter that this change caused him to conclude that he "no longer had the physical ability to handle all the duties as a head coach that the players deserve."

It was a very difficult decision for the Wausau West hockey lifer. His played high school hockey at Wausau West and his father, Steve, was an assistant coach to legendary Warriors' coach Pete Susens for 26 years. Brown himself served as an assistant coach for 11 seasons next to head coach B.J. Brandt and last season, his first as head coach, led the Warriors to a best-ever regular season record of 23-1 and a share of the Wisconsin Valley Conference championship with Stevens Point.

Wausau West has begun the process of hiring a new head hockey coach. The new coach will be only the sixth at Wausau West in more than half a century of school history. Jim Brown, Sr. (Travis Brown's great uncle) was the first coach when Wausau West began playing hockey and was succeeded by Don Bradford. Pete Susens coached for 36 seasons, Brian Brandt, Jr. then led the program for 11 years before Brown's very successful 2025-26 season at the helm.