The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tomey joins Longhorn Football staff
01.27.2004 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas - One of the premier head coaches in Pac-10 history and the all-time victories leader at both Hawaii and Arizona, Dick Tomey has accepted an assistant coaching position with The University of Texas, head coach Mack Brown announced on Tuesday. Entering his 41st year of coaching, including 24 seasons as a head coach, he will serve as the assistant head coach and work with the Longhorn defensive ends.
Tomey joins the Longhorns after spending last season as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers. He handled the 49ers nickel packages on defense, as well as serving as a sounding board for defensive coordinator Jim Mora. Prior to returning to the sidelines with the 49ers, Tomey spent two years as a frequent contributor to Fox Sports Net and ESPN and provided color commentary on University of Hawaii football telecasts.
During nearly a quarter-century as a collegiate head coach, Tomey compiled a 158-110-7 (.587) record over 24 years at Hawaii and Arizona. Tomey is the all-time leader in coaching victories at both schools, joining Bear Bryant and George Welsh as the only NCAA Div. I-A coaches to lead multiple schools in all-time wins.
Tomey enjoyed a successful 14-year run at the University of Arizona (1987-2000), guiding the Wildcats to a 95-64-4 (.595) record and the second-most wins of any Pac-10 school in the 1990s. His 60 conference victories place him eighth on the all-time list among Pac-10 coaches. Arizona recorded its only Top 10 finishes in school history under Tomey (1993 and '98), culminating in a final ranking of No. 4 in the nation following a 12-1 season in 1998. He led the 1993 Wildcat squad to a 10-2 record and a No. 10 final ranking. His 1994 squad (8-4) finished the year ranked 20th nationally and his 1989 unit (8-4) earned a No. 25 final ranking. He led the Wildcats to four bowl victories in seven games, including a 29-0 shutout over then-No. 10 Miami in the 1994 Fiesta Bowl and a 23-20 win over then-14th-ranked Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl.
Tomey coached 20 All-Americans at Arizona, as well as 43 first-team All-Pac-10 selections. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1992. He helped direct a defensive unit that set new standards in the Pac-10, as well as the nation. Nicknamed 'Desert Swarm,' the Arizona defense led the nation in scoring defense in 1992, allowing only 8.9 points per game and finished second in total defense. The impressive display was repeated in 1993 when the Wildcats led the nation in rushing defense while allowing a conference-record low of 30.1 yards a game.
Prior to his tenure in Arizona, Tomey helped bring the University of Hawaii into the world of Division I college football. He posted a 63-46-3 (.576) record over his 10 seasons with the Rainbow Warriors, earning Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1981.
Tomey began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Bo Schembechler at Miami (Ohio) in 1962 and spent two seasons there. He served as an assistant at Northern Illinois in 1964 before joining the staff at Davidson from 1965-66. Tomey left Davidson prior to the 1967 season and spent the next four years as an assistant coach under Pepper Rodgers at Kansas (1967-70). He went with Rodgers to UCLA and was a member of the Bruins staff, where he coached under current 49ers general manager Terry Donahue (1976) and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil (1974-75), for six years. Tomey was part of a Bruins staff that led UCLA to a 9-2-1 record and No. 5 final ranking in 1975. UCLA capped off that year with a 23-10 victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
A native of Bloomington, Ind., Tomey attended Michigan City (Ind.) High before enrolling at DePauw University, where he played football and baseball. He was inducted into the DePauw University Hall of Fame in 1994. Tomey was awarded the Provost Award in 1999 as Arizona's Outstanding Teacher-the only coach in history to be so honored by the faculty.
Tomey and his wife, Nanci, a contemporary fiction author, were married in 1997 and have four children: a son, Rich, and three daughters, Angie, Ali and Leigh-along with one stepson, Sonny.
Comments from Terry Donahue on new assistant head coach Dick Tomey
"Mack hired one of the winningest coaches in Pac-10 history in landing Dick Tomey. He's a proven commodity who has headed up to two very successful programs. As a coach, he's a fundamentalist who has the ability to get the best out of his players. Dick's players always seem to play harder than the other guys. He'll be a wonderful asset for Mack and his staff. He is as strong as I've seen when it comes to motivating and team building. If I had to go anybody to discuss the philosophy of team building, I would go to Dick Tomey. Those leadership skills, his energy and his coaching ability will be just a few of the great assets he will bring to Texas."
