Thomas Allison Mont (June 20, 1922 – January 1, 2012) was an American educator, university administrator,

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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

coach, and

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 majo ...

(NFL) player. He played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

as a back-up behind

Sammy Baugh Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football player and coach. During his college and professional careers, he most notably played quarterback, but also played as a safety and punter. He ...

for three seasons. Mont served as the head football coach for three years at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

and eighteen years at

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the ...

. He also served as the DePauw athletic director for fifteen years.

Early life

Mont was born in

Mount Savage, Maryland Mount Savage is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 873. A small blue-collar community, Mount Savage lies at the base of Big Sava ...

in 1922. He attended

Allegany High School Allegany High School is a public high school in the Allegany County, Maryland, city of Cumberland, United States. Allegany High is part of Allegany County Public Schools. Allegany High School was built as Allegany County High School in 1887, h ...

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...

, where he played football as a

. In 1939, he led the team to the city championship.Coach Mont Enters Maryland Sports Hall of Fame
DePauw University, February 19, 1973, retrieved January 28, 2009.

College career

Mont attended the

where he played football as a quarterback in 1941 and 1942.Year-By-Year Results
(PDF), ''2007 Terrapin Football Record Book'', University of Maryland, 2007, retrieved 16 January 2009. In 1942,

Clark Shaughnessy Clark Daniel Shaughnessy (originally O'Shaughnessy) (March 6, 1892 – May 15, 1970) was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation" and the original founder of the forward pass, although that ...

took over as Maryland head coach. In 1940 and 1941, Shaughnessy had coached at

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. S ...

. There he installed a pass-oriented version of the T-formation and, in his first year, engineered a turnaround from a 1–7–1 record to a perfect 10–0 season and

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (including ...

championship. While Maryland's head coach, Shaughnessy also worked concurrently as an advisor for the

, with that club and Maryland sharing the cost of his salary. Shaughnessy helped develop Mont into a high-quality quarterback. In 1942, with Mont under

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, the Terrapins posted a 7–2 record. That year, Mont was named an honorable mention All-American and ranked as the number-three passer in the nation. Mont also played

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

for

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

for the 1942 season.''2009 Maryland Men's Lacrosse Media Guide'', p. 65, University of Maryland, 2009.

Military service

Mont put his college career on hold to join the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

as an infantryman and served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In 1945, he coached the 3rd Infantry Division football team which won the 7th Army championship. After returning to the United States, he coached the basketball and football teams at

Fort Benning, Georgia Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

Return to college

After his military service, Mont returned to Maryland and played football for another season in 1946. That season, Shaughnessy,a one-time Maryland head coach in 1942, also returned from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Shaughnessy again worked part-time as an advisor for the

, and he had some of the Maryland players assist him. Under the arrangement, Mont and

Vic Turyn Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...

reportedly even called some plays for the Redskins.David Ungrady
Tales from the Maryland Terrapins
Sports Publishing Inc, 2003, . Mont graduated from Maryland with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1947. He played a second season on the lacrosse team in 1948.

Professional playing career

Mont had been selected in the 12th round of the

1944 NFL Draft The 1944 National Football League Draft was held on April 19, 1944, at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Boston Yanks selected quarterback Angelo Bertelli. Player selections Round ...

(114th overall) by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

. In 1947, he went to play for the

.Tommy Mont Statistics
Pro Football Reference, retrieved January 28, 2009. He played as a back-up quarterback for three seasons, and at one point was the number-two behind the legendary

.Maryland's Tommy Mont Named Head Grid Coach at DePauw
DePauw University, April 29, 1959, retrieved January 28, 2009. In his first season, he saw action in four games and recorded one interception on defense with a seven-yard return. In 1948, he played in 11 games including two starts. He recorded 12 completions on 28 attempts for 157 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 11 carries for 103 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he had two interceptions for 21 yards. That season, he was the Redskins' second-leading passer behind Baugh. In 1949, he played in 12 games and made three of seven completions for 44 yards. He also recorded rushed 14 times for 75 yards and made eight receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he recovered one fumble for a 45-yard return. That season, he was the Redskins' third-leading passer behind Baugh and

Harry Gilmer Harry Vincent Gilmer Jr. (April 14, 1926 – August 20, 2016) was an American football halfback and quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fam ...

Coaching career

Early positions

In 1949, Mont assisted at the

University of Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...

, where he helped install a T-formation offense. In 1950, he served as an assistant coach with the Washington Redskins. Mont returned to his alma mater in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

to become the Maryland backfield coach under

Jim Tatum Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...

, and he held that position through the 1955 season. During that time, he also worked with the U.S. Marine Corps' Parris Island football team, where he helped implement a Split-T offense in 1954. Mont worked summers with the football team of the

National Polytechnic Institute National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

from 1953 to 1955. In 1955, he also worked for 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-o ...

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 c ...

. In December 1958, he was a coach for the Blue team in the

Blue–Gray Football Classic The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in ...

Maryland

After Tatum resigned to coach at his alma mater,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, Mont was appointed as his replacement in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

. In his first season, Maryland was riddled with injuries and posted a disappointing 2–7–1 record. Mont had great difficulty recruiting to the same standard that his predecessor had, but managed to secure

Rod Breedlove Rodney Winston Breedlove (March 10, 1938 – May 25, 2021) was an American professional football who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1960 to 1 ...

, a highly touted

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 gu ...

prospect.Atlantic Coast Conference
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...

'', September 23, 1957. Breedlove later went on to play eight years in the NFL and made a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

appearance. In

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

, the Terrapins improved to a 5–5 record. The highlight of the season was a game featuring Jim Tatum's return to

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known ...

. On October 19, at

Byrd Stadium SECU Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. It is the home of Maryland Terrapins football and men's lacrosse teams, which compete in the Big Ten Conference. The facility was ...

, Maryland met the North Carolina team led by their former head coach. The game also had in attendance

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

who had expressed a wish to see her first game of American football. The Tar Heels were ranked 6th in the nation and possessed a 3–1 record. The Terrapins, on the other hand, were 1–3. In the first quarter, Maryland halfback Howard Dare

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

d and North Carolina

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, ...

Jack Lineberger recovered the ball on the Terrapins' 44-yard line. North Carolina was subsequently forced to punt but recovered it at the Maryland 35. On the ensuing possession, Tar Heel halfback Daley Goff rushed 11 yards for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

. In the third quarter, Maryland gained excellent field position when Goff received a bad punt snap and the Terps took over on the Carolina 38-yard line. Maryland quarterback Bob Rusevlyan later scored on a one-yard sneak. In the fourth quarter, halfback Ted Kershner broke away for an 81-yard touchdown run. Fullback Jim Joyce capped a 67-yard drive with a 13-yard rush for a score. With a final result of 21–7, the Maryland players carried Mont to the Queen and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

's box. Mont said it was a day that "I will revel in for the rest of my life."Maryland's queen for a day
, ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

'', October 19, 2007, retrieved January 28, 2009. In

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

, however, Maryland again backslid with a 4–6 record and Mont subsequently resigned.

DePauw

In 1959, Mont accepted a job as head coach and a professor of physical education at

. While there, he compiled a 67–94–4 record.Thomas A. "Tommy" Mont Records by Year
, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved January 28, 2009. In the rivalry with

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cu ...

, the Monon Bell Classic, Mont's teams posted a 12–5–1 record. He was twice bestowed most outstanding conference coach honors, including in 1967, when he was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.Tom Mont Steps Down as Football Coach
DePauw University, February 1, 1977, retrieved January 28, 2009. In 1964, Mont earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. In 1973, he was inducted into the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame at the Hit and Run Club at Memorial Stadium in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

After football

In 1972, he was appointed as the DePauw athletic director and the chairman of the department of physical education. In 1977, Mont retired as head coach to devote his full energy to his duties as athletic director. In 1987, he retired as athletic director.Longtime Football Coach Tom Mont Still Wisecracking, Reports Phoenix Newspaper
DePauw University, September 26, 2007, retrieved January 28, 2009. He and his wife were living in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

during his later years. Mont died of heart failure on New Year's Day, 2012, aged 89.

Head coaching record

References

External links

The Mont Years at DePauw
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mont, Tommy 1922 births 2012 deaths American football quarterbacks Calgary Stampeders coaches Chattanooga Mocs football coaches DePauw Tigers athletic directors DePauw Tigers football coaches Maryland Terrapins football coaches Maryland Terrapins football players Maryland Terrapins men's lacrosse players Washington Redskins coaches Washington Redskins players Indiana University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Sportspeople from Cumberland, Maryland People from Mount Savage, Maryland Coaches of American football from Maryland Players of American football from Maryland Wilmington Clippers players