Francis Thomas "Tad" Gormley (December 23, 1883 – December 5, 1965) was an American athletic trainer, coach and official. He was a native of
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...
and was the head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...
,
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
and Loyola New Orleans. He was also a game official in the New Orleans Prep School Athletic League for soccer, football and basketball and superintendent of City Park Stadium.
Coaching career
In 1914, Gormley was hired as the track coach at
Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...
. In 1916, he moved to
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of count ...
and at different times was head coach for the men's basketball, boxing, track and field and wrestling teams at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
. He served as head coach of the
LSU Tigers basketball
The LSU Tigers men's basketball team (aka. The Louisiana State University Tigers team) represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers are currently coached by Matt McMahon, after previous coach Will ...
team from 1921 to 1923, posting a 25–11 record and head coach of the
LSU Tigers track and field
The LSU Tigers track and field team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's indoor and outdoor track and field.
History
LSU men's track and field had its beginning in 1897. The Tigers have won a total of 6 NCAA champions ...
team from 1916 to 1927.
In 1927, Gormley returned to
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans ( , , While at Loyola, he also served as the boxing and track and field coach.
Gormley was an associate coach for the U.S. Olympic track team at the
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held dur ...
.
Accolades
In 1962, he was elected to the
National Athletic Trainers' Association
The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession. Founded in 1950, the NATA has grown to more than 43,000 member ...
Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1968, the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Hall of Fame in 1990. The former City Park Stadium in
City Park, New Orleans
City Park is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, USA. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Allen Toussaint Boulevard to the north, Bayou St. John to the east, Orleans ...
was renamed
Tad Gormley Stadium
Tad Gormley Stadium (originally City Park Stadium) is a 26,500 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The stadium is home to the University of New Orleans Privateers men's and women's track and fiel ...
in his honor in 1957.
Personal life
He was the uncle of
Joseph L. Gormley
Joseph Leo Gormley (May 22, 1914 – June 6, 2004) was the chief of chemistry and toxicology for the FBI.Joseph L. Gormley Obituary http://ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/usgenweb/md/montgomery/obits/gazettenet/gnet200409.txt
Born in Clinton, Massac ...