Thomas Samuel Pratt (born June 21, 1935) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

and attended

Beloit Memorial High School Beloit Memorial High School is a public, four-year comprehensive high school in Beloit, Wisconsin. Academics Beloit Memorial has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students, with 120 full-time certified staff and an average class size of 28 s ...

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sen ...

. He has been a coach in the American Football League and National Football League since 1963.

Early years

Pratt played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Beloit Memorial High School. He earned all-state honors as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

in 1952 while the team went undefeated.

College career

Pratt played

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

from 1953 to 1956, earning All-American honors at linebacker his senior year in 1956. He graduated from Miami with a degree in education in 1957. He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Coaching career

Pratt was an assistant coach for the Miami Hurricanes at the University of Miami from 1957 to 1960. He was the head freshman coach in 1957. He was then the coach of varsity guards and linebackers for the next three years. Pratt served as line coach for the

Southern Miss Golden Eagles The Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles (also known as Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles) are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), located in Hattiesburg, Miss ...

at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1961 to 1962. Pratt was the defensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1963 to 1977, helping the team win the AFL championship in 1966 and 1969 while also winning Super Bowl IV. He served as defensive line coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1978 to 1980. He was defensive line coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1981 to 1988. Pratt served as defensive line coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989 to 1994. He was defensive line coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995. Pratt served as defensive line coach of the

Coast Guard Bears The United States Coast Guard Academy's intercollegiate sports teams are called the Bears. They compete in NCAA Division III as members of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. Through the 2016 season, the Bears played football ...

at the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1997. He served as a football ambassador in

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...

for the Asahi Challengers of the X-League from 1998 to 1999. He returned to help the Challengers win the Japan Super Bowl in 2000. He returned to the Chiefs as the assistant defensive line coach in 2000. Pratt became pass rush specialist for the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. He had previously spent three years as a defensive coordinator consultant with

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

prior to joining the Cardinals.

Personal life

Pratt has also spent time as a consultant to Kyoto University.

References

External links

Professional coaching recordNFL Films Presents: Tom Pratt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Tom Living people 1935 births Players of American football from Wisconsin American football linebackers American football offensive guards Miami Hurricanes football players Miami Hurricanes football coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches Kansas City Chiefs coaches New Orleans Saints coaches Cleveland Browns coaches Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches Coast Guard Bears football coaches Arizona Cardinals coaches People from Edgerton, Wisconsin