Tom Kaufman has been building his resume to become a football coach since his high school years.
“I had tremendous coaches, in particular, at the high school level,” Kaufman said. “I played for a man named John Gibbons at Lake Catholic High School, and he was such an influence on me. He was a tremendous football coach and he was also a very strong life coach. We learned as many lessons off the field from him as we did on the field.”
Kaufman most recently led Gilmour Academy’s squad to their first Elite 8 appearance and school record 12 wins. He served as an Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator at Kent State, a Defensive Coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Special Teams Coordinator at Syracuse, Bowling Green, and Eastern Illinois, as well as worked on the coaching staffs at the University of Texas, Kansas, Mississippi State, Chicago, Case Western Reserve, and Heidelberg. Seven of his former players have gone on to play in the NFL.
On Sunday, Marietta College Interim President Kathleen Poorman Dougherty informed the campus community via email that Kaufman will be the 30th head coach of MC’s historic program, which dates back to 1892.
“Tom’s proven experience as a football coach and his commitment to academic excellence and strong community building are exactly what our program deserves, so we are very proud to have him join our Marietta College community,” Dougherty said.
As an undergraduate student, Kaufman was a linebacker for John Carroll University and served as Captain and Unity Council member his senior year. He earned All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors at linebacker.
“I think the OAC is the best conference in the nation,” Kaufman said. “If you win the OAC, you’re a national championship contender, which has been proven almost annually. From top to bottom, the league is very strong.”
He said the programs are in relatively close proximity, which provides for an ideal student-athlete setting because games don’t require overnight trips. He also looks forward to coaching against top coaches, which the OAC has in abundance, he said.
During the interview process, Kaufman attended one of the team’s weight room sessions and was impressed by the organization and enthusiasm, as well as the players’ size, strength and speed.
“I have to give a shout-out to Tom Hinkle for doing what appears to be such a tremendous job in the interim,’ Kaufman said. “It’s a lot of responsibility, and it appears that he kept a lot of things together — the current roster and the recruiting. There’s a lot of things going on and it went on for a long time, so I just want to give a special shout-out to him. I’m very much looking forward to working with him and with Dr. Kathleen (Dougherty). She is someone who you want to work for when you get a chance to be a head coach, as well as Larry (Hiser). There has to be support from the top down. Those two people made me feel like our program would be supported, and now we’ve got to do the job.”
Larry Hiser, Director of Athletics, looks forward to his leadership and his contributions to the community.
“We are really excited to welcome Tom and his wife Stephanie to our community,” Hiser said. “Being a head coach of a successful football program requires skills in many different areas and Tom proved to us that he could handle them all. First and foremost, he connected easily with our student-athletes and our culture. We share many of the same values. Beyond that, he has a great sense for the role of football in American higher education and at Marietta College. He builds great relationships that allow for mentoring and growth.”
Kaufman looks forward to cultivating his team, starting with his current players and with Assistant Coaches Tom Hinkle and Bryce Agnew.
“I could feel their passion for the place when I was (interviewing) and how much they loved Marietta,” Kaufman said. “I can’t wait to work with them and build relationships with the players because that’s really what it’s all about.”
The experiential aspect of being connected to the football program is very important to Kaufman.
“One of our big goals is to make sure that every single person that touches the program, whether they’re a student-athlete, an assistant coach, the people who do the equipment, radio, or whatever it might be, is better because they were around our program,” Kaufman said. He also wants to make sure the players and staff are involved outside of the football program and connect with the broader campus and community. “I want these guys to have an experience where, when they graduate — whether they’re an All-Conference player or fifth on the depth chart — they can say, ‘Man, I had a tremendous experience. I learned a ton, and someday if I’m a parent or husband, I’m going to be better because I played football for Marietta.”