.jpg) Hamilton from 1956Owl (Pittsburgh yearbook) | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1905-12-26)December 26, 1905 Hoopeston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 1994(1994-04-03) (aged 88) Chula Vista, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1924–1926 | Navy |
| Position | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1934–1936 | Navy |
| 1946–1947 | Navy |
| 1951 | Pittsburgh |
| 1954 | Pittsburgh |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1948–1949 | Navy |
| 1949–1959 | Pittsburgh |
| 1959–1971 | AAWU/Pac-8 (commissioner) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 28–32–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1965 (profile) | |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch | U.S. Navy |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Unit | USS Enterprise |
| Commands | Commander ofUSS Enterprise, July 10 – 29, 1944[2] |
| Conflicts | World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf, Battle of Iwo Jima |
Thomas James Hamilton (December 26, 1905 – April 3, 1994) was an Americanfootball player, coach,college athletics administrator, andnaval aviator who rose to the rank ofrear admiral in theUnited States Navy. He was the head coach at theUnited States Naval Academy from 1934 to 1936 and again from 1946 to 1947 and at theUniversity of Pittsburgh in 1951 and 1954, compiling a careercollege football record of 28–32–1.
Hamilton was also theathletic 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 (AAWU), renamed the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968 and now thePac-12 Conference. Hamilton was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1965.
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Born inHoopeston, Illinois, Hamilton attended high school inColumbus andGranville, Ohio. He attended theUnited States Naval Academy, graduating in 1927, and was a key player on the1926 football squad that won anational championship with a 9–0–1 record.[3] The single blemish on that season was a tie withArmy, a game which has been described as "one of the greatest football games ever played."[4] He was also elected as class president during his time at the academy.[3]
Following graduation from Annapolis and commissioning as anensign, Hamilton served the required period in surface ships before applying for flight training. He qualified as anaval aviator and flew a variety of aircraft, including patrol planes fromSan Diego in 1938 and 1939.
DuringWorld War II, Hamilton served ashore and afloat, primarily in aviation training and aboard the aircraft carrierUSS Enterprise. He was her flight deck officer and executive officer in 1943 and 1944, commanding the ship during a brief refit in 1944.
In 1934, Hamilton became the 21st head football coach at his alma mater, and served as head coach at Navy for a total of five years—three years in his first stint from1934 through1936 and two more in1946 and1947. Hamilton moved on to becomeathletic director at Navy in 1948, a position which he held for two years before leaving to accept a similar position at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, serving there until 1959. Twice during his tenure at Pitt, in1951 and1954, he also was the head coach of thefootball team.
Hamilton left Pitt in 1959 to take on the role of founding commissioner of the new Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), which later became the Pacific-8 Conference and eventually thePac-12 Conference, a position which he held until 1971. He served as chairman of thePresident's Council on Physical Fitness, served 16 years on theU.S Olympic Committee, and was vice-president of theNational Football Foundation.[3]
Hamilton received theTheodore Roosevelt Award[5] from theNCAA, theStagg Award[6] from theAmerican Football Coaches Association, theGold Medal from theNational Football Foundation, theCorbett Award from theNational Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics[7] and the James Lynah Award from theEastern College Athletic Conference.[8] In 1976, he was inducted into theSan Diego Hall of Champions.
Hamilton was married to Emmie Spalding in 1932 and is buried in the Naval Academy cemetery.[9]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Midshipmen(Independent)(1934–1936) | |||||||||
| 1934 | Navy | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1935 | Navy | 5–4 | |||||||
| 1936 | Navy | 6–3 | 18 | ||||||
| Navy Midshipmen(Independent)(1946–1947) | |||||||||
| 1946 | Navy | 1–8 | |||||||
| 1947 | Navy | 1–7–1 | |||||||
| Navy: | 21–23–1 | ||||||||
| Pittsburgh Panthers(Independent)(1951) | |||||||||
| 1951 | Pittsburgh | 3–7 | |||||||
| Pittsburgh Panthers(Independent)(1954) | |||||||||
| 1954 | Pittsburgh | 4–2 | |||||||
| Pittsburgh: | 7–9 | ||||||||
| Total: | 28–32–1 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
