Tom Hamilton (coach)
Encyclopedia
Thomas James "Tom" Hamilton (December 26, 1905 – April 3, 1994) was an American football
player, coach, college athletics
administrator, and naval aviator who rose to the rank of rear admiral
in the United States Navy
. He served as the head football coach at the United States Naval Academy
from 1934 to 1936 and again from 1946 to 1947 and at the University of Pittsburgh
in 1951 and 1954, compiling a career college football
record of 28–32–1. Hamilton was also the athletic director
at the Naval Academy from 1948 to 1948 and at Pittsburgh from 1949 to 1959. From 1959 to 1971, he was the commissioner of the Athletic Association of Western Universities, renamed the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968 and now known as the Pacific-12 Conference. Hamilton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a player in 1965.
and attended high school in Columbus
and Granville, Ohio
. Hamilton attended the United States Naval Academy
, graduating in 1927. He was a key player on the 1926 Navy football squad
that won a national championship with a 9–0–1 record. The single blemish on that season was a tie with Army
a game which has been described as "one of the greatest football games ever played." He was also elected as class president during his time at the academy.
. He was the "Big E's" flight deck officer and executive officer in 1943 and 1944, commanding the legendary ship during a brief refit in 1944.
. He served as head coach at Navy for a total of five years—three years in his first stint from 1934 to 1936 and two more from 1946 through 1947. Hamilton moved on to become athletic director
at Navy in 1948, a position which he held for two years before leaving to accept a similar position at the University of Pittsburgh
. He served as AD at Pitt until 1959. Twice during his tenure at Pitt, in 1951 and again in 1954, he also was the head coach of the Panthers football team
.
Hamilton left Pitt in 1959 to take on the role of founding commissioner of the Athletic Association of Western Universities, which later became the Pacific-8 Conference and eventually the Pacific-12 Conference, a position which he held until 1971. He served as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness
, had 16 years on the U.S Olympic Committee
, and was vice-president of the National Football Foundation
.
from the NCAA, the Stagg Award
from the American Football Coaches Association
, the Gold Medal
from the National Football Foundation
, the Corbett Award
from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
and the James Lynah Award from the Eastern College Athletic Conference
. In 1976, he was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, coach, college athletics
College athletics
College athletics refers primarily to sports and athletic competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education . In the United States, college athletics is a two-tiered system. The first tier includes the sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies...
administrator, and naval aviator who rose to the rank of rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He served as the head football coach at the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
from 1934 to 1936 and again from 1946 to 1947 and at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1951 and 1954, compiling a career college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
record of 28–32–1. Hamilton was also the athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at the Naval Academy from 1948 to 1948 and at Pittsburgh from 1949 to 1959. From 1959 to 1971, he was the commissioner of the Athletic Association of Western Universities, renamed the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968 and now known as the Pacific-12 Conference. Hamilton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
as a player in 1965.
Early life and playing career
Hamilton was born in Hoopeston, IllinoisHoopeston, Illinois
Hoopeston is a city in Grant Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Danville, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,965 at the 2000 census, and 5,602 in 2009.-History:Hoopeston was laid out in 1871...
and attended high school in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and Granville, Ohio
Granville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
. Hamilton attended the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, graduating in 1927. He was a key player on the 1926 Navy football squad
1926 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1926 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy in the 1926 college football season.-Schedule:-Final Dickinson rankings:...
that won a national championship with a 9–0–1 record. The single blemish on that season was a tie with Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
a game which has been described as "one of the greatest football games ever played." He was also elected as class president during his time at the academy.
Military career
Following graduation from Annapolis and commissioning as an ensign, Hamilton served the required period in surface ships before applying for flight training. He received his wings of gold and flew a variety of aircraft, including patrol planes from San Diego in 1938 and 1939. During the war he served ashore and afloat, primarily in aviation training and aboard the aircraft carrier USS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise (CV-6)
USS Enterprise , colloquially referred to as the "Big E," was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Launched in 1936, she was a ship of the Yorktown class, and one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to...
. He was the "Big E's" flight deck officer and executive officer in 1943 and 1944, commanding the legendary ship during a brief refit in 1944.
Coaching and sports administration career
In 1934, Hamilton became the 21st head football coach at the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. He served as head coach at Navy for a total of five years—three years in his first stint from 1934 to 1936 and two more from 1946 through 1947. Hamilton moved on to become athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at Navy in 1948, a position which he held for two years before leaving to accept a similar position at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. He served as AD at Pitt until 1959. Twice during his tenure at Pitt, in 1951 and again in 1954, he also was the head coach of the Panthers football team
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
.
Hamilton left Pitt in 1959 to take on the role of founding commissioner of the Athletic Association of Western Universities, which later became the Pacific-8 Conference and eventually the Pacific-12 Conference, a position which he held until 1971. He served as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
The President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition , is an American government organization that aims to "promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sport"...
, had 16 years on the U.S Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
, and was vice-president of the National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
.
Awards
Hamilton received the Theodore Roosevelt AwardTheodore Roosevelt Award (NCAA)
The Theodore Roosevelt Award is the highest honor the National Collegiate Athletic Association may confer on an individual. The award is awarded annually to a graduate from an NCAA member institution who earned a varsity letter in college for participation in intercollegiate athletics, and who...
from the NCAA, the Stagg Award
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is presented annually by the American Football Coaches Association to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football’’. Recipients receive a plaque which is a replica of the one given to...
from the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
, the Gold Medal
National Football Foundation Gold Medal Winners
Each football season, The National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame pays tribute to a select few with awards of excellence for exhibiting superior qualities of scholarship, citizenship and leadership. Additionally, the Foundation also recognizes individuals who demonstrate...
from the National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
, the Corbett Award
Corbett Award
The James J. Corbett Memorial Award is a US award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics . It is presented "to the collegiate administrator who through the years has most typified Corbett's devotion to intercollegiate athletics and worked unceasingly for...
from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics is a professional organization for college and university athletic directors in the United States. NACDA boasts a membership of more than 6,100 individuals and more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico...
and the James Lynah Award from the Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
. In 1976, he was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego Hall of Champions
The San Diego Hall of Champions is an American multi-sport museum in San Diego, California. Located in the Federal Building in Balboa Park, the facility recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and traditions involving more than forty-two sports...
.