 Mont as Maryland head coach in 1957 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1922-06-20)June 20, 1922 Mount Savage, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 2012(2012-01-01) (aged 89) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1941–1942 | Maryland |
| 1946 | Maryland |
| 1947 | Wilmington Clippers |
| 1947–1949 | Washington Redskins |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1949 | Chattanooga (assistant) |
| 1950 | Washington Redskins (assistant) |
| 1951–1955 | Maryland (backfield) |
| 1956–1958 | Maryland |
| 1959–1976 | DePauw |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1972–1987 | DePauw |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 78–112–5 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
Thomas Allison Mont (June 20, 1922 – January 1, 2012) was an American educator, university administrator,college football coach, andNational Football League (NFL) player. He playedquarterback for theWashington Redskins as a back-up behindSammy Baugh for three seasons. Mont served as the head football coach for three years at theUniversity of Maryland and eighteen years atDePauw University. He also served as the DePauw athletic director for fifteen years.
Mont was born inMount Savage, Maryland in 1922. He attendedAllegany High School inCumberland, Maryland, where he played football as aquarterback. In 1939, he led the team to the city championship.[1]
Mont attended theUniversity of Maryland where he played football as a quarterback in 1941 and 1942.[2] In 1942,Clark Shaughnessy took over as Maryland head coach. In 1940 and 1941, Shaughnessy had coached atStanford. There he installed a pass-oriented version of theT-formation and, in his first year, engineered a turnaround from a 1–7–1 record to a perfect 10–0 season andPacific Coast Conference championship.[3] While Maryland's head coach, Shaughnessy also worked concurrently as an advisor for theWashington Redskins, with that club and Maryland sharing the cost of his salary.[4] Shaughnessy helped develop Mont into a high-quality quarterback.[5] In 1942, with Mont undercenter, the Terrapins posted a 7–2 record.[2] That year, Mont was named an honorable mentionAll-American and ranked as the number-three passer in the nation.[1][6] Mont also playedlacrosse forMaryland for the 1942 season.[7]
Mont put his college career on hold to join theUnited States Army as an infantryman and served in theSecond World War. In 1945, he coached the3rd Infantry Division football team which won the7th Army championship. After returning to the United States, he coached the basketball and football teams atFort Benning, Georgia.[8]
After his military service, Mont returned to Maryland and played football for another season in 1946.[2] That season, Shaughnessy, a one-time Maryland head coach in 1942, also returned fromPittsburgh. Shaughnessy again worked part-time as an advisor for theWashington Redskins, and he had some of the Maryland players assist him. Under the arrangement, Mont andVic Turyn reportedly even called some plays for the Redskins.[4] Mont graduated from Maryland with aBachelor of Science degree in 1947.[8] He played a second season on the lacrosse team in 1948.[7]
Mont had been selected in the 12th round of the1944 NFL draft (114th overall) by theNew York Giants.[9][10] In 1947, he went to play for theWashington Redskins.[10] He played as a back-up quarterback for three seasons, and at one point was the number-two behind the legendarySammy Baugh.[8] In his first season, he saw action in four games and recorded one interception on defense with a seven-yard return.[10]
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.[10]
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 andHarry Gilmer.[10]
In 1949, Mont assisted at theUniversity of Chattanooga, where he helped install aT-formation offense. In 1950, he served as an assistant coach with the Washington Redskins.[1]
Mont returned to hisalma mater in1951 to become the Maryland backfield coach underJim Tatum, and he held that position through the1955 season. During that time, he also worked with theU.S. Marine Corps'Parris Island football team, where he helped implement aSplit-T offense in 1954. Mont worked summers withthe football team of theNational Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City from 1953 to 1955. In 1955, he also worked for theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League. In December 1958, he was a coach for the Blue team in theBlue–Gray Football Classic.[8]
After Tatum resigned to coach at his alma mater,North Carolina, Mont was appointed as his replacement in1956.[11] In his first season, Maryland was riddled with injuries and posted a disappointing 2–7–1 record.[2][12] Mont had great difficulty recruiting to the same standard that his predecessor had,[13] but managed to secureRod Breedlove, a highly toutedguard prospect.[12] Breedlove later went on to play eight years in the NFL and made aPro Bowl appearance.
In1957, the Terrapins improved to a 5–5 record. The highlight of the season was a game featuring Jim Tatum's return toCollege Park, Maryland. On October 19, atByrd Stadium, Maryland met the North Carolina team led by their former head coach. The game also had in attendanceQueen Elizabeth II 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.[14] In the first quarter, Marylandhalfback Howard Darefumbled and North Carolinalinebacker Jack Lineberger recovered the ball on the Terrapins' 44-yard line. North Carolina was subsequently forced topunt but recovered it at the Maryland 35. On the ensuing possession, Tar Heel halfback Daley Goff rushed 11 yards for atouchdown. 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-yardsneak. 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 andPrince Philip's box.[15] Mont said it was a day that "I will revel in for the rest of my life."[14]
In1958, however, Maryland again backslid with a 4–6 record and Mont subsequently resigned.
In 1959, Mont accepted a job as head coach and a professor of physical education atDePauw University.[8] While there, he compiled a 67–94–4 record.[16] In the rivalry withWabash College, theMonon 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.[1][17]
In 1964, Mont earned aMaster of Science degree fromIndiana University.[18] In 1973, he was inducted into the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame at the Hit and Run Club atMemorial Stadium in Baltimore.[1]
In 1972, he was appointed as the DePauw athletic director and the chairman of the department of physical education.[1] In 1977, Mont retired as head coach to devote his full energy to his duties as athletic director.[17] In 1987, he retired as athletic director.[19] He and his wife were living inPhoenix, Arizona during his later years.[19] Mont died of heart failure on New Year's Day, 2012, aged 89.[20]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Terrapins(Atlantic Coast Conference)(1956–1958) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Maryland | 2–7–1 | 2–3–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1957 | Maryland | 5–5 | 4–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1958 | Maryland | 4–6 | 3–3 | 5th | |||||
| Maryland: | 11–18–1 | 9–8–1 | |||||||
| DePauw Tigers(Indiana Collegiate Conference)(1959–1976) | |||||||||
| 1959 | DePauw | 1–7–1 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1960 | DePauw | 3–5–1 | 1–4–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1961 | DePauw | 5–4 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1962 | DePauw | 5–4 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1963 | DePauw | 5–4 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1964 | DePauw | 2–7 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1965 | DePauw | 2–6–1 | 1–4–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1966 | DePauw | 3–6 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1967 | DePauw | 6–2–1 | 4–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1968 | DePauw | 6–3 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1969 | DePauw | 2–7 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1970 | DePauw | 4–5 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1971 | DePauw | 1–8 | 0–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1972 | DePauw | 2–7 | 1–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1973 | DePauw | 6–3 | 3–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1974 | DePauw | 7–3 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1975 | DePauw | 5–5 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1976 | DePauw | 2–8 | 0–5 | 6th | |||||
| DePauw: | 67–94–4 | 31–63–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 78–112–5 | ||||||||