Tommy Mont

Thomas Allison Mont (June 20, 1922 – January 1, 2012) was an American educator, university administrator, college football coach, and National Football League (NFL) player. He played quarterback for the Washington Redskins as a back-up behind Sammy Baugh for three seasons. Mont served as the head football coach for three years at the University of Maryland and eighteen years at DePauw University. He also served as the DePauw athletic director for fifteen years.

Early life Mont was born in Mount Savage, Maryland in 1922. He attended Allegany High School in Cumberland, Maryland, where he played football as a quarterback. In 1939, he led the team to the city championship.

College career Mont meets William W. Skinner, Maryland's first quarterback and coach of the 1892 team. Mont attended the University of Maryland where he played football as a quarterback in 1941 and 1942. In 1942, Clark Shaughnessy took over as Maryland head coach. In 1940 and 1941, Shaughnessy had coached at Stanford. 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 championship. While Maryland's head coach, Shaughnessy also worked concurrently as an advisor for the Washington Redskins, with that club and Maryland sharing the cost of his salary. In 1942, with Mont under center, the Terrapins posted a 7–2 record. Mont also played lacrosse for Maryland for the 1942 season.

Military service Mont put his college career on hold to join the United States Army as an infantryman and served in the Second World War. 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. Mont graduated from Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1947. He played as a back-up quarterback for three seasons, and at one point was the number-two behind the legendary Sammy Baugh. In his first season, he saw action in four games and recorded one interception on defense with a seven-yard return. In his first season, Maryland was riddled with injuries and posted a disappointing 2–7–1 record. but managed to secure Rod Breedlove, a highly touted guard prospect. Breedlove later went on to play eight years in the NFL and made a Pro Bowl appearance.

In 1957, 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. On October 19, at Byrd Stadium, Maryland met the North Carolina team led by their former head coach. The game also had in attendance Queen 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. Mont said it was a day that "I will revel in for the rest of my life."

In 1958, 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 DePauw University. In the rivalry with Wabash College, 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.

In 1964, Mont earned a Master of Science degree from Indiana University. In 1973, he was inducted into the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame at the Hit and Run Club at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. He and his wife were living in Phoenix, Arizona during his later years.

Head coaching record