Tommy Hudspeth
Encyclopedia
Tommy Hudspeth was a football
coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. He served as head coach at Brigham Young University
, the University of Texas-El Paso, the National Football League
's Detroit Lions
and the Canadian Football League
's Toronto Argonauts
.
in Oklahoma
, then served the next two years in the military. Upon his release, he accepted an assistant position at Tulsa Central High School
in 1956.
Returning to his alma mater the following year, Hudspeth served as an assistant for the next four years, then moved up north to the CFL
, working in a similar capacity with the Calgary Stampeders
from 1961-1963.
championship and posted a 6-4 record. Hudspeth led the Cougars to an 8-2 mark in 1966 and had two more winning seasons in 1967 and 1969. in an eight year span, he compiled a record of 39-42-1.
Hudspeth is credited with recruiting the program's first black player in 1970.
Despite early successes, the Cougar program grew stagnant in Hudspeth's final three seasons - which included three consecutive losses to archrival Utah. Hudspeth also drew ire from some fans because he frequently lost his temper during postgame interviews.
On January 22, 1972, Hudspeth finally resigned and was replaced by one of his assistant coaches, Lavell Edwards
. Edwards built BYU into a national power by the end of the decade and later led the school to its first and only football national championship in 1984.
"I can't take any credit for what LaVell did at BYU," Hudspeth said. "LaVell was a brilliant coach. When we worked together back in the 1960s, LaVell already had a great understanding of what to do on offense. I recommended him when I left to take the job at UTEP, but everyone knew what a smart young coach he was." http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=070914_2_B1_spanc56356
in 1974 provided a new job opportunity for Hudspeth. He was hired as an offensive backs coach for the Chicago Fire. A major reason he was hired was because he had coached Chicago's quarterback Virgil Carter
, at BYU. However, during the course of the season, the team's weak defense, coupled with severe financial troubles, eventually saw Hudspeth also take over the defensive backfield coaching duties.
Escaping from the ill-fated league, Hudspeth took an off-the-field job the next year as the coordinator of personnel and scouting for the Detroit Lions. He remained in that position until October 5, 1976, when Lions' head coach Rick Forzano resigned following a 1-3 start and Hudspeth was tabbed to replace him.
The new coach had mixed results during the remainder of the 1976 NFL season
, with team owner William Clay Ford
actively pursuing Los Angeles Rams
head coach Chuck Knox
to replace Hudspeth. After Knox elected to stay with the Rams, Hudspeth was re-hired on February 9, 1977, signing a three-year contract. Only 11 months later, Hudspeth was dismissed, ending his Lions' tenure with an 11-13 mark.
On March 7, 1979, Hudspeth returned to Canada when he signed a three-year contract to become the general manager of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts
. He would return as a head coach on September 14, 1981, when he replaced Willie Wood with the reeling Argonauts sporting an 0-10 record. Once again, he closed out the season, then returned to the front office.
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...
coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. He served as head coach at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, the University of Texas-El Paso, the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
.
Career
Hudspeth graduated from Tulsa University in 1953 after completing his playing career at the school. He moved into the coaching ranks that Fall as an assistant coach at Norman High SchoolNorman High School
Norman High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Norman, Oklahoma with a steady enrollment of 1,945 students. It is accredited by North Central Association, the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association...
in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, then served the next two years in the military. Upon his release, he accepted an assistant position at Tulsa Central High School
Central High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Central High School is the oldest high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1906 as Tulsa High School, and located in downtown Tulsa until 1976. The school now has a campus in northwest Tulsa. Tulsa Central is part of the Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma's largest school district, and is a...
in 1956.
Returning to his alma mater the following year, Hudspeth served as an assistant for the next four years, then moved up north to the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, working in a similar capacity with the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
from 1961-1963.
Coaching Career at BYU
In 1964, Hudspeth became a head coach for the first time, taking over the Brigham Young Cougars struggling football program. Husdspeth recruited a number of ex-Marines to play for the Cougars in his first couple of seasons and BYU saw a dramatic rise in its football fortunes. In his second season 1965 BYU won its first Western Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
championship and posted a 6-4 record. Hudspeth led the Cougars to an 8-2 mark in 1966 and had two more winning seasons in 1967 and 1969. in an eight year span, he compiled a record of 39-42-1.
Hudspeth is credited with recruiting the program's first black player in 1970.
Despite early successes, the Cougar program grew stagnant in Hudspeth's final three seasons - which included three consecutive losses to archrival Utah. Hudspeth also drew ire from some fans because he frequently lost his temper during postgame interviews.
On January 22, 1972, Hudspeth finally resigned and was replaced by one of his assistant coaches, Lavell Edwards
LaVell Edwards
R. LaVell Edwards is a former American football coach of Brigham Young University . With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time...
. Edwards built BYU into a national power by the end of the decade and later led the school to its first and only football national championship in 1984.
"I can't take any credit for what LaVell did at BYU," Hudspeth said. "LaVell was a brilliant coach. When we worked together back in the 1960s, LaVell already had a great understanding of what to do on offense. I recommended him when I left to take the job at UTEP, but everyone knew what a smart young coach he was." http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=070914_2_B1_spanc56356
Head Coaching Record
Collegiate career after BYU
Hudspeth accepted a job as offensive coordinator at the University of Texas-El Paso shortly after leaving BYU. He became interim head coach on October 22, 1972 when head coach Bobby Dobbs resigned following a 56-7 loss. Hudspeth closed out the year, but following up with a disastrous 0-11 record the next year. He was subsequently fired from UTEP.Pro career
The advent of the new World Football LeagueWorld Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
in 1974 provided a new job opportunity for Hudspeth. He was hired as an offensive backs coach for the Chicago Fire. A major reason he was hired was because he had coached Chicago's quarterback Virgil Carter
Virgil Carter
Virgil R. Carter is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and the World Football League from 1967 through 1976. He was the first great quarterback from Brigham Young University.While at BYU Carter set six national, 19 conference, and 24...
, at BYU. However, during the course of the season, the team's weak defense, coupled with severe financial troubles, eventually saw Hudspeth also take over the defensive backfield coaching duties.
Escaping from the ill-fated league, Hudspeth took an off-the-field job the next year as the coordinator of personnel and scouting for the Detroit Lions. He remained in that position until October 5, 1976, when Lions' head coach Rick Forzano resigned following a 1-3 start and Hudspeth was tabbed to replace him.
The new coach had mixed results during the remainder of the 1976 NFL season
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, with team owner William Clay Ford
William Clay Ford
William Clay Ford may refer to:*William Clay Ford, Sr., grandson of Henry Ford, son of Edsel Ford and owner of the Detroit Lions*William Clay Ford, Jr., great-grandson of Henry Ford, son of William Clay Ford, Sr., chairman of Ford Motor Company...
actively pursuing Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
head coach Chuck Knox
Chuck Knox
Charles Robert "Chuck" Knox is a former American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is best remembered as head coach of three National Football League teams, the Seattle Seahawks, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Rams, serving two separate stints with...
to replace Hudspeth. After Knox elected to stay with the Rams, Hudspeth was re-hired on February 9, 1977, signing a three-year contract. Only 11 months later, Hudspeth was dismissed, ending his Lions' tenure with an 11-13 mark.
On March 7, 1979, Hudspeth returned to Canada when he signed a three-year contract to become the general manager of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
. He would return as a head coach on September 14, 1981, when he replaced Willie Wood with the reeling Argonauts sporting an 0-10 record. Once again, he closed out the season, then returned to the front office.