New Yale Coach

[bulldog10jw]

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/sports_wtnh_Yale_new_coach_200901051550

Sources: Tom Williams
new Yale coach

Last Edited: Monday, 05 Jan 2009, 3:53 PM EST
Created On: Monday, 05 Jan 2009, 3:50 PM EST

New Haven (WTNH) - Sources tell Sports Team 8 that Tom Williams, a defensive assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars, will be the new head coach of the Yale football team.

The formal announcement will be on Wednesday.

Williams has coached with Hawaii, Washington, Stanford and San Jose State before joining the Jaguars in 2007.

Williams will be replacing Jack Siedlecki, who announced his retirement in November after 12 years at Yale.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I think it's safe to say that Ivy League jobs, despite the financial benefits, are not very attractive options.

[ngineer]

Interesting route by Yale to take. Don't know anything about the guy, but coming in cold from the NFL really puts the guy behind the recruiting 8-ball without a staff in place, being out of the college scene. Guy may be great, but who knows...?

[bulldog10jw]

http://www.jaguars.com/team/Coach.aspx?id=2694


Tom Williams
Defensive Assistant

Tom Williams is in his first season as defensive assistant and second season with the Jaguars. Williams joined the Jaguars in 2007 as assistant special teams coach after spending the previous 11 seasons as an assistant on the collegiate level.

Williams served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at San Jose State from 2005-06. While at San Jose State, Williams engineered a defense that saw its points allowed decrease by 21.8 points from 2004 to 2006. The Spartans gave up 20.8 points per game in 2006, the lowest since the 1990 season. The Spartans finished with a 9-4 mark and a win in the New Mexico Bowl. In his first season with San Jose State, three linebackers finished among the WAC's top-10 tacklers.

Among the players Williams coached was New Mexico Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player Matt Castelo, a 2006 second team All-WAC selection. The Spartans' middle linebacker was third in the country in tackles per game in 2005 and second in 2006.

Prior to joining San Jose State, Williams spent three seasons at Stanford (2002-04). He coached linebackers, served as the co-defensive coordinator in 2002 and 2003 and was the associate head coach in 2004. Williams, a standout linebacker at Stanford, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Stanford in 1994 under Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh. Williams spent the 1993 season on the 49ers’ practice squad.

Williams, 38, spent three seasons (1996-98) at Hawaii including one season as defensive coordinator. At Hawaii, he was the youngest linebackers coach in 1996 and 1997 and one of the youngest defensive coordinators in 1998. Williams served as linebackers coach at the University of Washington from 1999-2001 and helped the Huskies to three consecutive bowl games including a win in the 2001 Rose Bowl.

Williams earned his master's degree from Stanford in university administration. He and his wife, Tonya, have three children, Grace, Ana and Tre.



COACHING BACKGROUND: Hawaii 1996-98, Washington 1999-2001, Stanford 2002-04, San Jose State 2005-06, Jacksonville Jaguars 2007-08

[ngineer]

Good to see he does have significant coaching at the collegiate level--including the 'Stanford' connection which probably sold well to Yale. Probably got his 'taste' of the NFL vagabond life and decided it was not for him, and hence, avoided going the BCS route as well. If he does well with the Eli, he can raise his family in one spot for the next 15 years.

[Bull Dog South]

Hope he keeps some of the coaches. All the good coaches are defense and we need offense. Any news on the coaches, let us know

[bulldog10jw]

http://portal31nhr.blogspot.com/

Williams is the pick

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive assistant Tom Williams has accepted Yale's head football coach job according to a source familiar with the search.

The 39-year-old Williams, who will be officially announced as the Bulldogs' coach at a 2 p.m. press conference Wednesday at the Ray Tompkins House, is the first black head coach in Yale football history.

Williams has never been a head coach but has 11 years of college coaching experience including stops at Hawaii, Washington, Stanford and San Jose State.
Williams has spent the last two seasons as a defensive assistant with the Jaguars.
Williams will replace Jack Siedlecki, who retired after 12 seasons to accept a job as an assistant athletic director at Yale.

Williams was a darkhorse candidate when he came on his first interview last month as UMass head coach and former Yale assistant coach Don Brown, Holy Cross head coach Tom Gilmore and Florida assistant coach Steve Addazio, a former head coach at Cheshire High, were all strong candidates. Brown was recommended for the job but source indicate that talks broke down during the contract stage. Addazio then moved to the top of the wish list but he took his name out of the running when he was appointed the offensive coordinator at Florida.

Williams recently came back to Yale for a second interview. Attempts to reach Williams for comment through the Jaguars on Sunday and Monday were not successful.

The timing for the announcement is key as Yale will be hosting a significant number of recruits in the next two weekends.

[Green26]

Yes, I'm sure the Stanford masters degree and coaching experience was helpful. It looks like he was coaching at Stanford when Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens was the head coach at Stanford. I assume Teevens gave him a good recommendation, presumably tailored to coaching in the Ivies.

[YaleFootballFan]

Finally.

[Eight Legger]

Guess Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan turned them down at the last second?

[Bull Dog South]

they didn't have master's degrees in order to be the new coach at Yale. The best school in the Ivies

[EmeryZach]

Congrats to Yale. I think this is a great pick.

[YaleFootballFan]

Today's Press Conference Video:

Press Conference Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWK3f9F0g2w)

Press Conference Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2vXQuQVrU0)

Press Conference Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeN5fj3XmyI)

[YaleFootballFan]

THE WILLIAMS FILE

Full Name: Tom Williams
Date of Birth: December 22, 1969
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
High School: Trinity Valley College Prep
College: Stanford, 1992 (B.A., History)
Graduate Degree: Stanford, 1995 (M.A., University Administration)
Wife: Tonya
Children: Grace, Tre, Ana, Lauren
Playing Experience: ILB, Stanford, 1989-92; LB San Francisco 49ers, 1993
Head Coaches Played For: Jack Elway, Dennis Green, Bill Walsh
Head Coaches Worked Under: Bill Walsh (Stanford), Tyrone Willingham (Stanford), Fred vonAppen (Hawaii), Rick Neuheisel (Washington), Buddy Teevens (Stanford), Dick Tomey (San Jose State), Jack Del Rio (Jacksonville)

THE WILLIAMS TIMELINE

1989-92: Attended Stanford - a 1992 team captain, Honorable Mention All-Pac10 Linebacker

1993: Signed Free Agent Contract With SF 49ers

1993-94: Graduate Assistant at Stanford

1995: Fujitsu, Japan (Defensive Coordinator)

1996-98: Assistant at Hawaii (Linebackers, Defensive Coordinator)

1999-2001: Assistant at Washington (Inside Linebackers) - 3 Bowl appearances, including 2000 Rose Bowl win

2002-03: Assistant at Stanford (Co-Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers)

2004: Associate Head Coach at Stanford

2005-06: Assistant at San Jose State (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) - 2006 New Mexico Bowl win

2007-08: Assistant with Jacksonville Jaguars (Defense, Special Teams)

[Ivytalk]

Excellent choice!xnodx On with The Rivalry!

Harvard once had a president who graduated from Stanford. We never held that against him.xcoolx

[YaleFootballFan]

More on Coach Williams:

Boston Globe: Yale names Williams as head football coach (http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2009/01/07/yale_to_name_williams_as_head_football_coach/)

Boston Herald: Jaguars assistant Tom Williams takes over at Yale (http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/football/view.bg?articleid=1143814)

Hartford Courant: Yale Introduces Williams As Football Coach (http://www.courant.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sports/hc-yale0108.artjan08,0,524503.story)

New York Times: Yale Hires New Coach and Racial Issue Fades for the Ivys (http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/sports/ncaafootball/08yale.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26refQ3Dsports&OP=2a41a350Q2F)hbX)lcQ3ABQ3CccTF)FQ26Q26w)Q26g)Q26 Q22)BKcQ3CTB)Q7BQ3A__kccTX_55)Q26Q22H_5bvQ3FTQ605)

New Haven Register: Williams introduced as new Yale coach (http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/01/08/sports/8-yale_football.txt)

New Haven Register/Dave Solomon: Coach a perfect fit for a school like Yale (http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/01/08/sports/8-solomon.txt)

Yale Daily News: Williams: 'We're going to beat Harvard' (http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/26960)

Yale Daily News: For new coach, a debut in front of the cameras, too (http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/26961)

Connecticut Post: Williams part of program's new era (http://www.connpost.com/elsberry/ci_11400241)

Philadelphia Daily News: Williams to be Yale's first black head coach (http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/37132169.html)

New England Cable News (video) Tom Williams named head football coach at Yale (http://multimedia.boston.com/pub/m/21740481/tom_williams_named_head_football_coach_at_yale.htm ?pageid=17)