They lingered on the court at McKale Center, exchanging hearty hugs and oft-told stories. Coaches, ex-players, co-workers, family members, friends 鈥 all had been touched by Dick Tomey in one way or another.
He would have loved seeing them gather and (literally) embrace this moment. Tears flowed during a heartfelt two-hour memorial for 蜜聊直播鈥檚 greatest football coach Friday morning. But as noted on the marquee, this was a celebration, not a funeral.
鈥淲hen you look at the people down there, that鈥檚 what he wanted,鈥 Tomey鈥檚 son, Rich, said about 45 minutes after the memorial. 鈥淭he impact he made and the stories people tell are what keep his legacy alive. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 going on right there. That鈥檚 what will continue to go on.鈥
People began trickling into McKale Center at 8 a.m. By the time the event started at 9, about 1,500 had come to pay their respects, show their support and express their admiration for Dick Tomey, who died three weeks earlier at 80 after battling cancer.
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Some of the attendees wore traditional mourners鈥 garb 鈥 black suits and dresses. Some donned blue-and-red UA gear. Others wore Hawaiian shirts and kukui leis, a nod to Tomey鈥檚 devotion to the islands.
One speaker after another ascended the stage, which sat at center court and was adorned with red, pink and yellow flowers.
Portraits of Tomey were perched on either side of the podium. One showed the retired coach waving to the crowd at 蜜聊直播 Stadium; the other depicted him in his prime, in a full baseball uniform, ready to catch a high, hard one.
A framed, navy No. 14 Tomey jersey 鈥 representing his 14-year run at the UA 鈥 was positioned behind the podium. Two large video screens flanked the stage. One displayed a slideshow of photos featuring Tomey roaming the sidelines, hugging his grandchildren and posing aside his beloved wife, Nanci.
Mark Harlan was the first to address the audience. Seventeen others followed. Here鈥檚 some of what they had to say about a man who meant so much to so many:
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Nanci Kincaid, second from left, wife of the late Tomey, smiles at a joke during the public memorial service inside McKale Center on Friday.
Harlan, the Utah athletic director, basically grew up with the Tomey family. He considers Rich Tomey his best friend.
Harlan served as a UA team manager from 1987-92 and worked with Dick Tomey at South Florida. It was Harlan鈥檚 first appointment as the head of a program. He needed help. Tomey gladly provided it.
Harlan had witnessed Tomey鈥檚 benevolence in action.
The early part of the offseason, Harlan said, was 鈥淒ick Tomey season.鈥 He鈥檇 spend hours on the phone, to the point of losing his voice, trying to help fired colleagues get jobs.
鈥淚f you were one of his guys, you were his guy for life,鈥 Harlan said. 鈥淚 miss him terribly.鈥
Then came Lisa Bravo, Tomey鈥檚 longtime assistant at the UA. Bravo recounted how every single phone conversation with Tomey ended.
"Love you, Lis,'" Tomey would say.
鈥淟ove you more, Coach Tomey,鈥 Bravo would reply.
Then came Eli Wnek, who played for the 蜜聊直播 from 1998-2001. He recalled when Tomey came to recruit him, how he remembered everyone鈥檚 names.
鈥淐oach noticed people,鈥 Wnek said. 鈥淗e asked. He cared. It was as if he was saying, 鈥楬ey, you matter. You have value.鈥 鈥
Then came UA president Robert C. Robbins, who conceded that he didn鈥檛 know Tomey that well. But in the brief time that he did get to know him, Robbins quickly learned what Tomey was all about.
When Tomey would attend UA football games, Robbins could see how his ex-players interacted with their old coach. Robbins could hear it in their voices.
鈥淗is former players would do anything for him,鈥 Robbins said, 鈥渂ecause he鈥檇 do anything for them.鈥
Then came Ced Dempsey, the former UA athletic director who lured Tomey from Hawaii in January 1987. Dempsey was seeking a coach who could take the program to the next level. He also wanted someone who had integrity and professionalism. Tomey proved to be that man.
Dempsey recalled Tomey organizing games of capture the flag with his kids. Dempsey admired the way Tomey set the tone for the entire athletic department, how he鈥檇 attend tennis matches and softball games and lend his support to anyone who needed it.
鈥淒ick was more than just a coach,鈥 Dempsey said. 鈥淗e was a teacher, a mentor, a family man and a man of God.鈥
Former UCLA and pro coach Dick Vermeil quickly discovered Dick Tomey鈥檚 passion and compassion when he hired him as an assistant in the mid-1970s.
Then came Dick Vermeil, the Super Bowl-winning coach who kept Tomey on his staff at UCLA in the mid-1970s. Vermeil didn鈥檛 have a prior relationship with Tomey. Vermeil soon discovered Tomey鈥檚 passion for football and his compassion for people.
Vermeil hosted recruits at his home one time. In the course of instructing them on techniques, Tomey backpedaled into the pool. He hopped right out and kept on going, without so much as toweling himself off.
鈥淗e signed every one of those guys that day,鈥 Vermeil said.
Then came Ken Niumatalolo, the Navy coach whom Tomey recruited to Hawaii. A native of Laie, Niumatalolo admired how Tomey embraced the islands and represented the people there. Tomey left Hawaii as the Rainbow Warriors鈥 all-time winningest coach, but he did so much more.
鈥淭o measure him by wins and losses would be such a shallow reflection,鈥 Niumatalolo said. 鈥淗e drew a community and a state together.鈥
Then came Jesse Sapolu, the former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman who played under Tomey for the Rainbow Warriors. Despite starting for four years and earning honorable-mention All-America acclaim, Sapolu wasn鈥檛 taken until the 11th round of the 1983 NFL draft.
鈥淵ou go to the 49ers and show them you are the best draft choice they ever had,鈥 Tomey told Sapolu.
He played for them for 15 seasons and was part of four Super Bowl champions.
Then came Pat Manley, a Tucson businessman, community leader and longtime family friend. He talked about what Tomey represented.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an idea,鈥 Manley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way of life. It鈥檚 a path to greatness. It encourages all of us 鈥 the name Dick Tomey 鈥 to climb the mountain.鈥
Then came Kelvin Eafon, the short-yardage specialist for the 12-1 蜜聊直播 of 1998. Eafon remembered the way Tomey made him feel loved. Tomey respected Eafon鈥檚 leadership ability and anointed him a team captain.
鈥淗e had a way of making you feel so special about yourself,鈥 Eafon said. 鈥淗e was on your butt. But family gets on your butt. He showed me how to love unconditionally.鈥
Former UA football player Joe Salave鈥檃 talked about the mutual love and respect Tomey and his players had for each other. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a reason some of us would run through a wall for that coach 鈥攐ur coach,鈥 said Salave鈥檃 on Friday.
Then came Joe Salave鈥檃, the current Oregon defensive coordinator and star UA defensive lineman in the mid-1990s. Salave鈥檃 remembered how much Tomey believed in and cared about his players.
鈥淐oach Tomey is what鈥檚 wholesome about this world,鈥 Salave鈥檃 said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a reason some of us would run through a wall for that coach 鈥 our coach.鈥
Then came Dino Babers, the coach at Syracuse who played under Tomey at Hawaii and coached under him at 蜜聊直播. Babers spoke of the imprint Tomey left on people 鈥 about his 鈥渦ncanny ability to take men and make them love each other.鈥
Babers met with Tomey this spring, two days before Easter. Despite his weakened condition, Tomey wanted to make sure Babers remembered what coaching was supposed to be about.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e doing it for the kids?鈥 Tomey asked him. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e giving back?鈥
鈥淐oach,鈥 Babers replied, 鈥淚 will always ask those questions.鈥
Then came Chuck Cecil, the legendary UA safety whose final season, 1987, coincided with Tomey鈥檚 first. The two became great friends. Tomey had a way of bringing a team together, of somehow blending the violence of football with the ability to love his players, that has stuck with Cecil for decades.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 who he is,鈥 Cecil said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 you, and he鈥檚 me. I believe the best way to honor Dick Tomey is to live our lives the way he did.鈥
A photo of late UA football coach Dick Tomey is projected during a public memorial service Friday. About 1,500 showed up to pay their respects.
Then came Brent Brennan, the coach at San Jose State who apprenticed under Tomey at SJSU in the mid-2000s. Brennan called Tomey his 鈥渇ootball dad鈥 who used 鈥渢he power of encouragement鈥 to get the best out of his players.
Brennan wrote a poem about his mentor. The verses included this one: 鈥淢aking you a better man was always his goal.鈥
Then came Rich Brooks, the former coach at Oregon who worked with Tomey at UCLA in 1976. Brooks was privy to Tomey鈥檚 intensive competitiveness, which came out when they went for a jog (鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 just go for a jog with Dick Tomey鈥) or when they played golf (they kept track of strokes for an entire year for a grand prize of $20).
Brooks admired Tomey鈥檚 optimism. Other coaches would despair when they lost a key player to injury. Tomey would see an opportunity.
鈥淭he glass was never half-empty for Dick Tomey,鈥 Brooks said. 鈥淚t was overflowing.鈥
Then came Mayur Chaudhari, assistant special-teams coach for the Atlanta Falcons who also happens to be Tomey鈥檚 son-in-law. Chaudhari recalled how Tomey would start every day by making a cup of coffee for Nanci. Chaudhari then explained that 鈥淒ick Tomey season鈥 didn鈥檛 end when his coaching career did.
鈥淎fter he retired, every day was like that,鈥 Chaudhari said. 鈥淗e could just get down deep into your soul and squeeze out every bit of goodness you had.鈥
Then came Angie Tomey, Dick鈥檚 daughter. She appreciated that her father always supported her, whether she was taking up rock climbing, becoming an organic farmer or taking a year off to help tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.
Angie described her dad鈥檚 passing as a 鈥渂eautiful鈥 experience. He was surrounded by his family. She thanked everyone for their well-wishes.
鈥淗e knew you were all loving him,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat meant a lot to him.鈥
Finally, Rich Tomey spoke. He could see the impact his father had just by peering out into the audience.
鈥淭he whole week has been an inspiration,鈥 Rich said afterward. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been overwhelming just to see the legacy he left and the lives he touched. It shows the power a coach can have 鈥 what all coaches should aspire to be.鈥
