and varsity coach

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Sports

October 29, 2020

TOM ADAMS Mr. St. Mark’s The community reflects on the lasting legacy of longtime master teacher and coach Tom Adams, who passed away over the summer.

Mr. Adams. Coach Adams. And whom some may call “Mr. St. Mark’s.”

A master teacher in history who encouraged the love of learning.

A legendary and almost obsessive coach who amassed 21 SPC titles –– 15 baseball and six basketball.

Throughout his 47 years at 10600 Preston Rd., former head coach and history instructor Tom Adams, who passed away June 13, mentored countless students and instilled in them values of sportsmanship, determination and humility.

His commitment to excellence and his genuine care for others created an unmatched lasting legacy and the story of an icon that will be told to future generations of Marksmen.

Tom Adams’ legacy

Associate Athletic Director Joshua Friesen: “For coach Adams to not only be a great teacher, and to be head coach of three sports for most of his career, football, basketball, and baseball, it is just special that he is able to invest that much time and energy into our boys. You just don’t see that anymore––an academic teacher coaching three sports.” JF: “Coach Adams was incredibly intelligent, very thorough, caring, patient, and a great teacher of sports to young men. He left an impact on many of his athletes and students as a mentor and a person who encouraged the love of learning in the classroom and the love competition on the playing field.” Headmaster David Dini: “He represented the very best of St. Mark’s. A true renaissance man. Scholarathlete focused on caring for others and committed to excellence in everything he did. He was a brilliant and incredibly inspiring teacher and coach. He was warm and generous and demanding. Mr. Adams was obsessive about academics.” B.A. Cullum ’99: “Tom Adams was a St. Mark’s icon. His impact, over decades and across generations, on those he taught continues to be immeasurable. From teaching in the classroom to coaching out on the baseball field or basketball court, he inspired his students with passion, humor and a commitment to excellence. Tom’s impersonation of sportscaster Les Keiter at the annual homecoming pep rally remains one of my favorite St. Mark’s memories. No one would miss it. Students, faculty and staff would pack into the gym to hear Tom, as Les, describe the outlandish accomplishments of the senior football players before introducing each one. His ability to amplify our pride in St. Mark’s was unparalleled.” Former third grade instructor Frank Jordan: “I talked to him several times the week before he passed away. His health had really gone downhill, and it got to the point where I would read him sports stories because he was such a sports fanatic.”

Tom Adams stories

Richard Rohan ’78: “I recall the many 2-on-2 basketball games played against Mr. Adams in an otherwise empty Morris Spencer gymnasium, and typically in the evenings, weekends or late afternoons. Our special rules were designed to keep the gentle giant from backing too close into the lane. And the games got quite heated. But they were always a blast, and indelibly etched into my memory. I was most flattered when Mr. Adams asked me to go out for varsity basketball before my senior year, even though the request was qualified with the admonition that it would primarily be for practice purposes, as opposed to game-time

IN THE DIAMOND

Former head varsity baseball coach Tom Adams enjoys a teaching moment with a Lion baseball player (left) and announces his team’s starting lineup to the crowd (right) on Arthur P. Ruff field.

minutes… One-of-a-kind is an apt description [for Adams].” DD: “When Davis Hall was still here, he and I shared a wall between our offices. We had a vent that came into both of our offices, so I could hear everything that he said. He had a photographic memory. He was the world record holder for the fastest talking human. He came here right out of Princeton.” FJ: “The last time he came in my room, he thought his favorite team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, would beat the Iowa Hawkeyes, and he told my class that if Ohio State won, he’d be back, but if Iowa won, they’d never hear from him again. Iowa ended up beating Ohio State and he never came back in the class.” JF: “Coach Adams had these old Nike Shark shoes. He hadn’t bought a new pair of shoes for 20 years. These shoes had seen way better days. He would break a shoelace occasionally, and he would take his shoe off, and throw it to me and say ‘tie the laces together for me.’ He would keep pitching with one shoe on until I could get that shoelace re-tied, and then he would just keep going. He never missed a beat.” FJ: “He would come in my room during class and talk about how great his favorite teams were, and I would always introduce him [to my students] and say how legendary of a teacher he was at St. Mark’s.” JF: “Coach Adams worked at St. Mark’s for so long and started at a young age. I myself started here at age 22. I would often talk to Coach Adams about being a lifer, a guy who starts at a place and potentially finishes there. Coach Adams would always mentor me and told me that if you are in a place where you are happy and a good fit, stick with it.”

STORY William Aniol, Shreyan Daulat PHOTOS Courtesy Development Office

Senior Knobel Hunt commits to the SMU Men’s Soccer program

by William Aniol, Dillon Wyatt

Senior Knobel Hunt has committed to play Division I collegiate soccer at Southern Methodist University (SMU), continuing the legacy his father, Clark Hunt ’83, who left there 33 years prior.

Although Knobel was unable to officially visit SMU owing to COVID-19 restrictions, various factors––including the school’s proximity to home and close family ties––led to his decision to go ahead and commit to the program.

“[My official visit] would’ve taken place over this summer,” Knobel said. “I was hoping to get it in at the end of September, but the NCAA extended the cancellation all the way until Jan. 1. Because I had been on campus for the SMU ID camp, it is so close [to home], I have been to football games, my Dad went there and my sisters are there right now, I felt comfortable enough that I wasn’t making a leap to go ahead and make my commitment.”

Although Clark enjoyed a decorated career with the SMU Men’s Soccer program, having been a senior captain and two-time Academic AllAmerican, Knobel is more focused on cementing his spot on the team and making a name for himself, regardless of his father’s accomplishments.

“Playing college soccer has been a dream of mine since I have been a little kid,” Knobel said. “Even though I am following in [Clark’s] footsteps at SMU, which I know he is extremely proud of me for and honored that I can honor him in that way, I’m also here to make my own legacy and work hard. Nothing in this life is given to you. His time on the team is not going to award me any playing time, and I’m prepared to go in and work my hardest to have a playing spot on the team.”

Clark preached to Knobel the importance of having an open mind throughout the recruiting process, even if Knobel knew all along that SMU was the university he wanted to attend.

“I encouraged Knobel to look at a variety of universities across the country, so he would have a broad understanding of the academic offerings, campus environments and soccer programs that might be available to him,” Clark said. “I also suggested that he start the process early, which proved to be very beneficial, as the pandemic significantly restricted the recruiting

process and campus visits over the last eight months.”

While Clark and his wife, Tavia, did not pressure Knobel into committing to Clark’s alma mater, the two are excited to see Knobel play collegiate soccer nearby.

“Knobel earned this opportunity through perseverance and hard work, and he understands that success at the collegiate level will require him to continue to work hard,” Clark said. “I believe he has a very high ceiling as a player, and we are so proud to see him charting his own path.”

Knobel understands that while he’s now committed, he cannot afford to slack off over the coming months prior to his arrival at SMU.

“I think every day I step on the field is an opportunity for me to demonstrate to everyone else why I deserve the roster spot I’m committing to at SMU,” Knobel said. “The mindset becomes that this is the next step in my soccer journey, and I’m here to prove to everyone why I deserve to play at the next level.”