Dick Tomey facts for kids
Tomey (right) with Bill Walsh
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1938 Elnora, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 10, 2019 (aged 80) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Baseball | |
| 1957–1959 | DePauw |
| Position(s) | Catcher |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1962–1963 | Miami (OH) (GA/freshmen) |
| 1964 | Northern Illinois (freshmen) |
| 1965–1966 | Davidson (DB) |
| 1967–1970 | Kansas (DB) |
| 1971–1973 | UCLA (OL/DB) |
| 1974–1975 | UCLA (DB) |
| 1976 | UCLA (DC) |
| 1977–1986 | Hawaii |
| 1987–2000 | Arizona |
| 2003 | San Francisco 49ers (assistant) |
| 2004 | Texas (AHC/DE) |
| 2005–2009 | San Jose State |
| 2011 | Hawaii (ST) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2015–2016 | South Florida (associate AD) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 183–145–7 |
| Bowls | 5–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Pac-10 (1993) | |
| Awards | |
| WAC Coach of the Year (1981) Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1992) |
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Richard "Dick" Tomey (born June 20, 1938 – died May 10, 2019) was a famous American football coach and player. He was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1977 to 1986. Later, he coached the University of Arizona from 1987 to 2000. His last head coaching job was at San Jose State University from 2005 to 2009.
Coach Tomey had a great career in college football. He won 183 games, lost 145, and had 7 ties. He was known for building strong teams and helping many players succeed.
Contents
Dick Tomey's Coaching Journey
Starting Out in College Football
Dick Tomey graduated from DePauw University in 1960. While there, he played baseball as a catcher for three years.
He started his coaching career in 1962 at Miami University. He worked as a graduate assistant, helping out with the team. He then coached freshmen players at Northern Illinois in 1964.
From 1965 to 1976, Tomey worked as an assistant coach at several universities. He coached defensive backs at Davidson College and Kansas. He then moved to UCLA, where he coached both offensive and defensive players. In 1976, he became the defensive coordinator at UCLA. During his time as an assistant, UCLA won the 1976 Rose Bowl in 1975.
Leading the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
In 1977, Dick Tomey became the head coach for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. He coached there for ten years until 1986. He helped the team achieve its first top-20 ranking in 1981. He also coached Al Noga, who became Hawaii's first first-team All-American player. In 1981, Tomey was named "Coach of the Year" for the Western Athletic Conference. He left Hawaii as the coach with the most wins in the team's history at that time.
Success with the Arizona Wildcats
Tomey took over as head coach at the Arizona Wildcats in 1987. He coached there for 14 seasons. In 1992, he was named "Coach of the Year" for the Pac-10.
During his time at Arizona, Tomey coached many talented players. Five of his players were chosen in the first round of the NFL draft. He also coached 20 players who became All-Americans. His teams in the mid-1990s were especially strong, known for their tough "Desert Swarm" defense.
In 1998, his team had an amazing season, winning 12 games and losing only one. They finished fourth in the national polls, which was the highest ranking in Arizona's history. Tomey resigned after the 2000 season. His 95 wins are still the most by any coach in Wildcats history.
Coaching in the NFL and Texas
After leaving Arizona, Tomey spent some time coaching in professional football. In 2003, he was an assistant defensive coach for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2004, he helped the Texas Longhorns have a great 11–1 season. They won their first-ever Rose Bowl game.
Building Up San Jose State
In 2005, Tomey became the head coach at San Jose State University. Even though his first season had a 3–8 record, the team showed a lot of improvement. They won more home games than before and allowed fewer points than the previous year.
In 2006, the San Jose State Spartans had a fantastic season, finishing 8–4. They played in the first-ever New Mexico Bowl and won the game 20–12. They ended the season with an impressive 9–4 record.
In 2009, Dick Tomey was chosen to be the President of the American Football Coaches Association. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2009 season. He finished his head coaching career with 183 wins in college football.
Return to Hawaii
In 2011, Tomey returned to Hawaii to coach special teams for one season.
Broadcasting and Administration
After his full-time coaching career, Dick Tomey also worked as a sports commentator. He was a color commentator for the WAC Sports Network and for local Hawaii sports broadcasts.
In 2015, Tomey joined the University of South Florida as an associate athletic director. He worked there for about a year.
Personal Life
Dick Tomey was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and grew up in Michigan City, Indiana. He wrote a book about his time coaching in Hawaii called Rise of the Rainbow Warriors.
His wife, Nanci Kincaid, is a writer. They had five children and nine grandchildren.
Dick Tomey was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2019 and passed away in May of that year.
Head Coaching Record Summary
Dick Tomey's overall head coaching record in college football was 183 wins, 145 losses, and 7 ties. He coached for 29 seasons as a head coach.
- Hawaii (1977–1986): 63 wins, 46 losses, 3 ties.
- Arizona (1987–2000): 95 wins, 64 losses, 4 ties.
- San Jose State (2005–2009): 25 wins, 35 losses.
He led his teams to 5 bowl game victories out of 8 appearances.
