Tommy West
Brandon Roberson. The Tigers' 2002 recruiting class was ranked as the number one class in Conference USA by Tom Lemming and SuperPrep Football Magazine and one of the top 50 classes in the nation for 2002. West and his staff landed the state's top defensive prospect in Ridgeway High's Willie Henderson and Georgia's top quarterback prospect in Maurice Avery of McNair High in Atlanta. Two weeks after National Signing Day, DeAngelo Williams, the most heralded running back in Arkansas, inked with West and the U of M. West's first class of recruits at Memphis included 10 players from the Memphis area, a feat unheard of in past years at the U of M. The 2002 football squad showed marked improvement offensively with the new spread offense. The team set numerous passing records, including the most touchdown passes in a season with 24. Wade Smith, who West converted from tight end to offensive tackle, was a third round draft selection by the Miami Dolphins and Travis Anglin, who was moved from quarterback to wide receiver, was drafted by the Detroit Lions. The Tigers posted a 5-6 record during the 2001 season and came within a matter of seconds of receiving the school's first bowl bid in 30 years. Several bowl scouts were in attendance for the U of M's season finale and were prepared to extend an offer if the Tigers had won the game. The game played down to the final four seconds before the outcome was decided.
West’s Head Coaching Marks Overall ................................. 52-54 Home Record ........................ 33-22 Away Record ......................... 17-29 Neutral Record .......................... 2-3 Aug/Sept .............................. 18-20 October ................................ 15-20 November ............................ 18-14 Outrush Opposition ............... 43-13 Win Turnover Margin ............... 30-4 C-USA Record ...................... 10-14 C-USA Home Record ................. 6-6 C-USA Road Record ................... 4-8 ACC Record .......................... 21-19 ACC Home Record .................. 11-9 ACC Road Record ................. 10-10 Wins Over Top 25 ......................... 4
West, who was inducted into the All-American Football Foundation Hall of Fame in April of 2002, came to the U of M campus in December of 1999 after spending five years with the Atlantic Coast Conference football power Clemson. He took over a Memphis defense that had been ranked 23rd in the nation in 1999 in total defense but had been unable to defend against the run. After allowing Mississippi State University just 127 total yards of total offense in the 2000 season opener, the Tigers found themselves ranked fourth in the nation in defense. A week later, Memphis limited Louisiana-Monroe to just 176 total yards and in doing so, climbed into second place in the NCAA rankings. The Tigers never relinquished their top-10 ranking throughout the season despite playing several nationally-ranked offenses. Memphis finished the 2000 campaign ranked No. 5 in the nation in total defense and No. 1 in the nation in rushing defense. Memphis limited nine of its 11 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing and no team rushed for more than 125 yards against the U of M in 2000. The Tigers had five players named to the AllConference USA first team defensive unit, which tied the C-USA record for the most players from one school ever named to a first team. Nose tackle Marcus Bell, defensive end Andre Arnold, linebacker Kamal Shakir, safety Idrees Bashir and corner Michael Stone all received first team All-C-USA honors in 2000. Freshman linebacker Coot Terry and corner Jason Brown were also named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team defensive unit. Prior to his arrival in Memphis, West's resume as a head coach included four bowl appearances, 12 road wins and four wins over Associated Press Top 25 teams while serving as head coach at Clemson. But in addition to his abilities as a head coach, West earned his reputation as a tireless recruiter while at Clemson. During his tenure at Clemson, West recruited the school's all-time leading rusher, Raymond 34
THE QUICK FACTS ABOUT TOMMY WEST ✰ Born July 31, 1954, in Carrollton, Georgia
✰ High School Gainesville (GA) High, received varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball and was a high school All-American selection in football (1972) and was an all-state and All-Southern selection in 1972; Drafted by Chicago Cubs in 1972.
✰ College Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Education from Tennessee in 1976; Earned three letters as a scholarship TE and was a two-year letter winner for the Volunteer baseball team; Was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.
✰ Personal Data Name: Thomas Cleveland West Family: Wife, Lindsay Watkins West of Forest City, NC; an Appalachian State graduate, and one child, Turner (12/19/87).
✰ Coaching/Administrative Career 1979: Assistant at Ole Miss under Steve Sloan, (runningbacks);OleMissfinishedtheseasonwitha4-7record and placed 7th in the SEC... 1980-81: Assistant coach at AppalachianStateunderMikeWorkingin 1980 (receivers), andnamedoffensivecoordinatorin1981 ...1982-89:Assistant coach at Clemson under Danny Ford, (outside linebackers), Clemson played in 1985 Independence Bowl; 1986 Gator Bowl; 1987 Citrus Bowl; 1988 Citrus Bowl; 1989 Gator Bowl ...1990: Assistant coach at Tennessee under Johnny Majors, (running backs); Tennessee played in 1990 Sugar Bowl ...1991-92: Defensive coordinator at South Carolina under Sparky Woods, (defensive coordinator/linebackers) ...1993: Hired as head coach at UT-Chattanooga and led Mocs to 4-7-0 record ... 1993: Hired as head coach at Clemson to replace Ken Hatfield for Peach Bowl game...1994-98: Head coach at Clemson University; Led the Tigers to a 31-28 record and appearances in the Gator Bowl (1995); Peach Bowl (1996) and the Peach Bowl (1997) ... 2000: Defensive coordinator at the University of Memphis; Led the Tigers to a fifth place national ranking in total defense and the number one ranking in rushing defense 2001: Hired as head coach at Memphis to replace Rip Scherer and led Tigers to a 5-6 record during the 2001 season ... 2002: Inducted into All-American Football Foundation Hall of Fame ... 2003: Won nine games and had Tigers in bowl for first time in 32 years; named the Tennessee Sportswriters Coach of the Year.
✰ Record At UT-Chattanooga: 4-7-0 (1993) At Clemson: 31-28-0 (1993-98) At Memphis: 17-19-0 (2001-present) Total Record: 52-54-0 ( 9 years)