Tommy Joe Hudspeth (September 14, 1931 – June 23, 2015) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
and
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...
coach and executive at both the collegiate and professional levels. He was the head coach at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU) from 1964 to 1971, and the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
(UTEP) from 1972 through 1973, compiling an overall
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
record of 40–56–1. Hudspeth served in the same capacity for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
of 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) from 1976 until 1977, and
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL) in 1981, posting a mark of 13–17.
Career
Early positions
Hudspeth graduated from the
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...
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 School
Norman High School is a four-year public high school in Norman, Oklahoma with a steady enrollment of approximately 2,000 students. It is accredited by North Central Association, the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Second ...
in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, 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 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 ...
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
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL), working in a similar capacity with the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...
from 1961 to 1963.
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 Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
(WAC) 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. Over an eight-year span, he compiled a record of 39–42–1. Hudspeth is credited with recruiting the program's first
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
player, Ronnie Knight, in 1970, following pressure from the LDS leadership and
the "Black 14" Incident with
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
the previous year. On January 22, 1972, Hudspeth resigned and was replaced by one of his assistant coaches,
LaVell Edwards
Reuben LaVell Edwards (October 11, 1930 – December 29, 2016) was an American football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. Among ...
. 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."
UTEP
Hudspeth accepted a job as
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
at the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
(UTEP) shortly after leaving BYU. He became interim head coach on October 22, 1972 when head coach
Bobby Dobbs
Robert Lee Dobbs (October 13, 1922 – April 2, 1986) was an American football fullback and coach.
Early years
After graduating from high school in Frederick, Oklahoma in 1941, Bobby entered University of Tulsa to play football for coach Henry F ...
resigned following a 56–7 loss. Hudspeth closed out the year 1–3, but followed up with a disastrous 0–11 record the next year. He was subsequently fired from UTEP.
Pro ranks
The advent of the new
World Football League
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...
(WFL) 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 R. Carter (born November 9, 1945) is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and the World Football League from 1967 through 1976.
College career
Carter was the first notable passing q ...
, 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
Richard Eugene Forzano (November 20, 1928 – January 10, 2019) was an American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, most prominently as head coach of the National Football League's Detroit Lions from 1974 to 1976 ...
resigned following a 1–3–0 start and Hudspeth was tabbed to replace him.
The new coach had mixed results during the remainder of the
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 Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This fulfilled one of the conditions agreed to in 1966 for the 1 ...
, with team owner
William Clay Ford actively pursuing
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
head coach
Chuck Knox
Charles Robert Knox (April 27, 1932 – May 12, 2018) was an American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He served as head coach of three National Football League (NFL) teams, the Los Angeles Rams ( 1973–19 ...
to replace Hudspeth. After Knox elected to stay with the Rams, Hudspeth was re-hired on February 9, 1977, signing a three-year contract. Hudspeth and his entire coaching staff were dismissed only eleven months later on January 9, 1978, ending his Lions' tenure with an 11–13–0 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
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
. He would return as a head coach on September 14, 1981, when he replaced
Willie Wood
William Vernell Wood Sr. (December 23, 1936February 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a safety with the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL). Wood was an eight-time Pro Bowler an ...
with the reeling Argonauts sporting an 0–10 record. Once again, he closed out the season, then returned to the front office.
Return to Tulsa
In 2006, Hudspeth was hired by University of Tulsa director of athletics
Bubba Cunningham
Lawrence R. "Bubba" Cunningham (born May 12, 1962) is an American college athletics administrator. He was named athletic director for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2011. He was previously athletic director for Ball State Unive ...
as an assistant in the area of development and fundraising for athletics.
Hudspeth died June 23, 2015 of cancer. He was 83 years old.
Head coaching record
College
References
External links
NCAA coaching stats at Sports-Reference.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudspeth, Tommy
1931 births
2015 deaths
BYU Cougars football coaches
Calgary Stampeders coaches
Detroit Lions coaches
Detroit Lions executives
Detroit Lions scouts
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players
Toronto Argonauts coaches
Toronto Argonauts general managers
UTEP Miners football coaches
Chicago Fire (WFL) coaches
High school football coaches in Oklahoma
People from Cherryvale, Kansas
Detroit Lions head coaches