LAMPASAS, Texas (KXXV) — Former Texas Tech football player Haydon Wiginton is returning to his family roots in Lampasas this weekend for the annual Spring Ho Festival — and he's bringing his very first song with him.
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The song is called "Lampasas," and it's a tribute to a local sports legend: his grandfather, former Lampasas Badger football coach Ken Wiginton, who died in 2022.
Wiginton began writing music in college while grieving the loss of his grandfather.
"He was at every single one of my football games growing up. He was one of my best friends," Wiginton said.
Writing music became his way of honoring the man who helped shape his life.
"I wrote the song and then after he passed away, I tweaked the song to kind of honor him… and what he meant to me," Wiginton said.
The song is named not after his grandfather directly, but after the town Coach Wig loved most.
"Everybody in this town knows Granddaddy… every time I meet somebody from Lampasas, they say they knew my granddad," Wiginton said.
In Lampasas, that legacy still carries on. Spring Ho Festival volunteer Chris Davis remembered the impact Coach Wiginton had on the players he coached.
"When you played for Coach Wig, you just didn't want to disappoint him. He was a very positive influence," Davis said.
For many in the community, hearing Haydon sing about the town and the people who shaped him feels personal.
"It's a great song and a great song about a small community that means a lot to all of us. We all want to come back home," Lampasas resident Brandy Boguard said.
Wiginton's journey feels uniquely Texan — from Division I football player at Texas Tech to a rising country artist carrying small-town stories across the state.
"I'm Texas all the way… especially when I play out of state, show them what I'm about, what Texas is about," Wiginton said.
No matter where the music takes him, Wiginton says Lampasas will always hold a special place in his heart.
"If I can be talked about like him one day, then I did something right," Wiginton said.
Wiginton performs Saturday night at 8:30 at the Spring Ho Festival.
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