One of the most respected and accomplished men in college football, Dick Tomey enters his fifth season as the head coach of the San Jose State Spartans and the 2009 President of the 10,000-plus member American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Named the 26th head coach in school history December 29, 2004, Tomey resurrected the Spartans football program with the support and vision of athletics director Tom Bowen.
In his first four seasons, San Jose State has a bowl title, the 2006 New Mexico Bowl, and 23 wins – more victories than any four-season span at the university in the last 15 years. He has infused a successful home-field culture into the Spartans with 15 wins in their last 20 games. The on-field success in Spartan Stadium has translated to an unprecedented 320-plus percent rise in home attendance from 2004 to the present.
Leading the program steadily and progressively with a stabilizing influence, Tomey has turned San Jose State into a consistent Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship contender. The 2006, 2007 and 2008 Spartans posted conference marks of .500 or better – the first San Jose State teams to do so consecutively since the university joined the WAC in 1996. As a result, the Spartans have been bowl-eligible two of the last three years including 2008 when Tomey’s squad posted a 6-6 win-loss record.
Readily adapting to the changes in the college game, smart, disciplined football is a Tomey trademark. While the 2008 team was one of the best defensive units at San Jose State in the last 20 years, the Spartans remained one of the top teams nationally in turnover margin for the third year in a row.
Tomey’s “team first” belief paved the way for San Jose State’s finest season of the 21st century in 2006. The Spartans posted a 9-4 win-loss record, its best since 1990, and snapped a 16-year bowl drought. A plus-six turnaround in the win column included victories over Stanford, San Diego State and conference rival Fresno State.
With the New Mexico Bowl win, Tomey joined a select group of head coaches to reach nine victories in a season at three different NCAA FBS institutions. He enters the 2009 season as the only WAC head coach with a winning record in bowl games and is among the top-15 active FBS coaches for bowl victories and post-season winning percentage.
Tomey’s instruction and leadership seamlessly integrates player accomplishments. Defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert led the country in 2008 in tackles for loss and was the WAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Cornerback Dwight Lowery became the university’s first two-time, first-team All-America selection as a member of the 2006 and 2007 American Football Coaches Association teams. Lowery, chosen in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2008 National Football League draft by the New York Jets, is the third Spartan picked in the two most recent NFL drafts. Wide receivers James Jones and John Broussard, respectively, went in the third round to Green Bay (78th overall) and in the seventh round to Jacksonville (229th overall) in 2007. Seventeen seniors have participated in post-season all-star football games since 2006, the Spartans’ largest group for any four-season span.
AMONG THE BEST
At the end of the 2008 season, his 181 career victories, all in the Football Bowl Subdivision, rank fourth among active coaches. Only Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden and Mack Brown have more wins in FBS/Division I-A games. His overall head coaching record from his years at San Jose State University (2005-08), the University of Arizona (1987-2000) and the University of Hawai’i (1977-86) is 181-135-7. (click here for Tomey year-by-year) In 28 seasons as a head coach, he has never experienced back-to-back losing seasons. Tomey is the only head coach who ranks in the top-10 for conference coaching victories in both the WAC and the Pacific-10 Conference. (click here for lists)
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Courtesy: San Jose State Athletics
