Hedrington played for Hall of Fame coach Ade Olson and also Jim Rice in an era when many players stayed on the field an entire game, playing both offense and defense. He started his Blugold career in 1951 but that was interrupted with two years of service to his country as a member of the United States Army from 1953-55. He came back to become a member of the 1956 conference championship team and also played in 1957 and 1958, earning All-Conference honors as a tackle his senior season when he served as co-captain. A 1951 roster indicates that Hedrington, an 18-year-old freshman at the time, was the fourth heaviest player on a 39-man roster at 197 pounds. A 1958 Eau Claire Leader-Telegram feature story indicated that Hedrington started every game in four years save one game in 1956 when he was injured. It also indicated he was known as "iron man" and played nearly every minute of every game during the 1958 season.

Hedrington also doubled as the Blugold kicker and won a game versus Superior with a last-second field goal in 1958. A popular player, Hedrington was also selected by his teammates as the Homecoming King in 1958.

Following his graduation with a social studies and physical education degree in 1960, he started a long career as a teacher and coach, making stops at Thorp High School, Wisconsin Rapids Assumption HS, Cornell HS and Chippewa Falls Senior High. During more than three decades of high school coaching, Hedrington was either an assistant or head coach in football, basketball, wrestling and track. He also assisted head coach Jim Lind with the Blugolds in 1981. He coached two championship teams at Thorp and his 1963 team was ranked No. 1 in the state.

A native of Chippewa Falls, Hedrington and his wife Betty have two grown daughters--Heidi Culbertson and Helen Dohm--and four grandchildren.

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