← Becoming UnDone
Becoming UnDone
120 | Part 9: Arizona Football Head Coach Brent Brennan Reflects on Coach Dick Tomey's Lasting Legacy
00:43:34
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- [00:04]
Toby Brooks
This is becoming undone. So maybe I should start right here. Yeah, I missed a week now, too. No new episodes dropped. And I hate excuses, but my wife and I are in the middle of a move. Unpacking boxes, figuring out where my toothbrush goes. You know the drill. Matter of fact, it's not an exaggeration to say that since I last spoke with you in these hallowed halls, I nearly died. I am stubborn and I am cheap for moving. That means I expect myself to do it all and I won't splurge to pay for help. Last weekend I was moving a truckload of junk from Lubbock to Waco, and in the process, I was trying to load my squat rack out of the back of that truck and into the house. Now, we're staying in a rent house right now, and thankfully it has an in ground pool. First time I've ever had one. Pretty cool. And I was really looking forward to trying it out. But before then, there's work to be done. So I've got this eight foot tall, all steel welded squat rack, and I'm rolling it up to the sidewalk so that I can pull it up and get it in the house. One wheel hits the curb a little bit before the other, and before I know it, I've induced a tumbling roll in this rack. And it's probably £250, £300 and I'm inside of it. So in that moment, I've got a choice. I can either stick with it and let it break my back. I can let it slam me into the concrete. Or plan C, the pool's nearby, I can dive in the pool. Crisis averted. So I bail. I hit the pool. The rack goes clanging down onto the concrete and my phone's in my pocket. I'll say this phone is cursed. I had it for 18 hours before I cracked the screen. And now, less than a month after I got it, it takes a dip in the pool. I try to spring out of the pool as fast as I can so that I don't get it wet any longer than I have to. And my shorts come off as I hit the pool deck. It is a comedy of errors, but a near miss. So before I go any further, my apologies. My apologies. I promise I'll do better next week. Now then, the show people ask me from time to time, what was the highlight of your career as an athletic trainer? Any moment that really sticks out. First time I got the question, I didn't even hesitate. I knew right away there was no doubt in my mind about it. Stanford Stadium Brad Brennan, who's recovering from a hamstring injury, then a back there was rehab, Tucson heat, months of work, the comeback, the touchdown, and the thank you from him right there in his moment of triumph. And every time I've been asked since, I've told the same story because in my opinion, nothing else has come close. Brad's a past guest on this show way back in episode 87, and he told his story of grit and toughness, how he went from a lightly recruited California State basketball champ to one of the first Americans to ever play professional football in Japan. And if you listen to that episode, you've heard a version of this story before. But I'm going to tell it again because it's not just a career highlight, it's one of the highlights of my life. This time though, I'll try to add some extra flavor and keep it true to the spirit of our Dick Tomi docu series. Brad Brennan was an undersized walk on wide receiver. He had great hands and a ferocious heart. He'd managed to snag a last minute invite to join the team and he made the most of it, eventually becoming one of the most steady and dependable targets in a stacked University of Arizona receiving corps that featured names like future NFLers Jeremy McDaniel and Dennis Northcutt. When I first met Brad in 2000, he was this friendly, free spirited guy with board shorts, sunglasses and a rare mix of confidence and humility. And I've since learned that's just the Brennan way. Every Brennan I've ever met has that same light in them. At the time when we first crossed paths, Brad had been battling a recurrent hamstring strain for nearly a year. Shortly thereafter came a back injury and things got worse. When I came on board and jumped full time from gymnastics to football, he was already going on a full season of rehab. We'd work together pretty much every day, sometimes twice a day for months at a time, all summer long. Without a doubt, I know I saw him more than my own wife. That summer of 2000 and in a pre indoor facility era, we regularly went up to the scorching Arizona football practice fields in 110 degree weather where he'd run routes, do drills and he'd work hard and get better every day. But it didn't stop there. Brad did pool workouts, lifting, sprint work, even drills in the foam gymnastics pit in an effort to get healthy. And he did. But it was slow. Somewhere along the way, Brad's older brother Brent joined the staff as an offensive Graduate assistant. First time I met Brent, it was like a little taller, more seasoned version of the same Brennan I already knew. Same signature grin, same cap on backwards with the California swag. Same love for life. But unlike Brad, Brent wasn't a receiver. Not anymore anyhow. He had been though as a student athlete at UCLA at the time, he was now into coaching. And as an offensive ga, he was putting in countless hours along with former guest David Fib on the defensive side of the ball. All that to say that while Brent was learning the offense, he was also aware of what his kid brother was going through in rehab. Brad missed that opening game of the 2000 season, a Sept. 2 matchup at Utah. It had been a date we'd both circled on the calendar way back in the spring. But he wasn't quite ready yet. As a coach and as his brother, Brent was in a tough spot too. He knew Brad wanted to go, but he also knew he wasn't quite himself yet. It's hard to be a coach and a big brother at the same time. So we all talked it over and agreed. Take it slow. Regroup. Aim instead. For the conference opener he continued restricted and practiced doing twice a day rehab sat out two home games, a loss to Ohio State and a win against San Diego state become the PAC 10 opener on the road in his hometown Bay area against Stanford, he finally got the green light. September 30, Stanford Stadium. I didn't start Losi Leonard and Brandon Marshall got that on her. I thought he was ready. Brent thought so too. Brad told me that he agreed. 31, 165 fans in the stands, probably a good chunk of them extended Brennan family. The Wildcats clung to a 30 lead midway through the first quarter. Then finally Brad got the call, entered the game for his first game action in over a year. Arizona QB Ortiz Jenkins took the snap, dropped back and hit number 13 in stride as he leapt over a defender and took it to the house. In my memory I distinctly remember that it was at least an 80 plus yard touchdown and I've told the story that way for years that it was. Maybe it's a Mandela effect or something because I finally looked it up and according to the box score, officially it was a 36 yard pass. If I'm remembering it correctly, brother Brent was actually in the booth on the headset, so I don't think he was on the sidelines to see. At any rate, on the season, Brad had one play under his belt and it happened to be a one play eight second scoring drive to put U of a up. But to Brad, that catch was way more than just a completion. It was an exclamation point. Notice a roadside historical marker that told him and the world that despite all the setbacks, the adversities, the disappointments, the mental, the physical pain and suffering he'd endured, he was back. But Brad didn't come to the sideline and say he was back.
- [08:24]
Brent Brennan
Oh, he was jacked.
- [08:25]
Toby Brooks
He was ecstatic. He was yelling that we were back. Ball still in hand. He came straight at me, hit me with a full body, full speed hug. The kind that knocks you off your feet. The kind we've talked about in this show that Coach Tomi was made famous for. The kind that says, you were with me in this. It's been decades since that game and I've had more incredible memories than I can count. But that one, it's still right there near the top. Over the past several episodes, we've heard from people whose lives were changed by Dick Tomi. The truth is, some of them didn't need to learn how to lead with love. They already had it in. The Brennan family was like that. It wasn't that Brad and Brent learned compassion in the first place from Coach Tomi, but instead it was that they recognized it in him. Their dad, Steve had played football at San Jose State. Their mom, Courtney was a cheerleader there. That foundation was already there long before poured in them at home. But when you carry the kind of light that Dick Tomy did, others are drawn into its orbit. Whether they lacked it or they just wanted more. Coach told me it was like a gravitational force and the Brennan's got pulled in just like the rest of us today. Brent's the head football coach at the University of Arizona. That very same program where he once poured hours into film, stuffed into a storage closet with David Phipp and on the practice fields running drills as a young ga. The same program where his brother caught that comeback touchdown. And today we get to talk about it. What he learned, what he carries forward, and how the lessons of Coach Dick Tomi still guide his steps. Sadly, we lost Coach Tomi to cancer in 2019. Lately, I found myself thinking about him more and more as I've grown in my own leadership. I kept asking myself, how can I leave like he did? How can I love people like he did? What was his secret sauce? What made people follow him so fiercely, even though he was tough and fiery? And they carried his lessons for decades after they had taken off the pads or shut the office door for the last time? Because in a Profession where wins and losses often scream the loudest. Dick Tomi was different. He built something far more lasting than wins and losses. He built relationships. Those questions, they have not let me go. So I started asking, I started listening, started chasing down the people who knew him best. Players, staff, family. To unpack what made him special, to trace his path, to learn what made his leadership so timeless. If you've been here with me, we followed his journey from Indiana to Hawaii, from Hawaii to Tucson, from Tucson to San Jose. And even in his retirement, never really stopped coaching, mentoring, or loving people. This journey has helped me rediscover a legend and maybe hopefully prayerfully become a better leader myself. While Brent Brennan was just starting out, he had no idea that the man he was working for would shape the entire trajectory of his coaching life. That's what Coach Thome did. He built people. And Brent Brendan is living proof. Today we continue our deep dive into the life, the legacy and the lessons of coach Dick Comey with a conversation that comes full circle. Brent Brennan is no longer a young assistant trying to earn his stripes. He is the man at the helm in Tucson. And in his own words, he's trying to honor Coach Tomy's legacy not by recreating the past, but by carrying its values into the future. You're tuned in to becoming undone. This well, this, my friend, is part nine of the life lessons and legacy of Coach Dick's Homie, a Toby Brooks passion project.
- [12:40]
Brent Brennan
Super excited today. Long time coming. I've been looking for an excuse to talk with my buddy Brett Brennan for quite a while. Had your brother on the show and that was a good time. But this seemed like a great excuse to reconnect with you. So, head coach of the Arizona Wildcats, former head coach of San Jose State Spartans, and our paths crossed when we were both gas at U of A in Tucson. So, Brent, welcome to the show.
- [13:03]
Dick Tomey
Toby, what's up? It's great to see you, man. I'm looking forward to this.
- [13:07]
Brent Brennan
Yeah, when, when I really thought about this idea, you're one of the first names that came to mind because your path intersected with coach Tomi multiple times and at multiple levels throughout your career. And to see. Honestly, I was thinking about this before you even got to Uvatos. So to see you and the staff that you've reassembled there is really, really exciting. So we'll get into that. But I want to start at the beginning. You were a GA at three different schools, which is not how that typically goes. Usually those are two year gigs, but you Got different things at each place. And you could have been done, probably, but you chose to pull up stakes and move to Tucson and be with U of a for that 2000 season. So I guess talk me through when you first met Coach Tomi and what made that interaction so important that you decided you wanted to really initiate your college career there?
- [14:02]
Dick Tomey
Well, I. I had always had an incredible respect for Coach Tomi. Just his teams, you know, we played against those teams when I was at ucla and just his teams were always so tough and played so hard and just super impressive. And then my brother ended up coming down here to play. And so then I got to meet Coach Tomi face to face a handful of times. And. And then when I first got out of school, I was coaching high school football for a couple years and Coach Tony was recruiting a player that I was coaching. And then, you know, that the friendship kind of started from there or the relationship kind of started from there. Then as my GA went, had another year. I was in my. Just. Just finished my. Our first year at University of Washington with Coach Neuheisel, and I was at the convention and Coach Tomi grabbed me and he said, hey, why don't you come coach with us and be there, Be a part of Brad's last year and get to know some new coaches. And that was right away. He's like, this business is about who you know and what relationships you have. And so this will introduce you to a whole new staff. And so it kind of went from there.
- [15:02]
Toby Brooks
Yeah.
- [15:03]
Brent Brennan
Such an exciting story. And I mean, I joined Arizona in 98, and that was a magical season. And you were there. I mean, I still have got pictures of Brad Brennan jumping on a goal post around somewhere, but that 98 season, 12 and 1, best record in school history, number four overall in the polls. And that was followed up with a season we would all describe as a disappointment in 99, where the. The. The expectations coming into 99 were really high. That Penn State game never really recovered from. So in 2000, it's kind of a mixed bag. Wasn't really sure what to expect. And you're on board. You're part of a coaching staff that had encountered some change. Coach Phipp comes in with you. Our pass first cross there. What do you remember most about that transition to Tucson and especially early on, integrating with the staff that he had there?
- [15:56]
Dick Tomey
Well, I think one of the best things about Coach Tomi and the people that he chose to surround himself with, it was just always such a welcoming group. Right. The team had a really Healthy vibe to it. Coaching staff. There seemed to be, and I'm even able to see that kind of on the backside of that now. Just, I think the University of Arizona, Arizona football there, there's some magic to this place. And Coach Tomy just really leaned into that. And so you had just great coaches who also ended up being great mentors and friends in my life, even though I was just with them for about eight months that first year. But it's so much of my. In my career and like all the things that I've been lucky to have happen for me were a byproduct of the choice to come to University of Arizona in 1999.
- [16:40]
Brent Brennan
Yeah, I know as a young coach, I mean, you're in learning mode and, and you think about what graduate assistants had to do even back then, the cut ups and just the long hours and just the grind that it took to be a coaching ga. What did you see in coach Tomi and in that staff that inspired you? I mean, you're. You're a P5 P4 head coach today.
- [17:03]
Dick Tomey
What.
- [17:04]
Brent Brennan
What did that experience teach you and open your eyes to that made you think that this is what I really want to do?
- [17:11]
Dick Tomey
Well, I think, you know, I was really pulled to how coach told me that. And then because of him, the staff treated the players, the relationships coaches have with the players who were so healthy, you know, that just that part of it was like such a positive. I think like so many people in college football try to say, like, this is a family, but I think that's really hard for that to happen. But Coach Tomi had a magical way of bringing it together like that and for people like truly really feeling that. And so I think that was just the thing I leaned into the most with it. And then there's a lot of great coaches on that staff, right? There was multiple guys that have been head coaches and even from that and that staff that, you know, that's how I got to know Rich Ellerson. That like, led to my next job. So. And to this day, I still talk to Dave Fit probably every other week. And you know, we. We haven't worked together for a long time now, but we're still close as ever. And that all started because, you know, we shared our office was in the storage closet, the football offices in McHale. I mean, back then you only had two gas, one on each side of the ball. There was no analysts, there was no quality control, and there was only two of you. So. And I would sit back there and, you know, he got Me listening to country music and it was a hell of a deal.
- [18:23]
Brent Brennan
Yeah, I will never forget. I mean, that season didn't really go as any of us would have hoped and there were a lot of just near misses and just, just things that, that we never would have hoped for. Pip had left a full time coaching job to be a GA and you had left kind of midstream. And I'll never forget the two of you being in the training room and you know, the media had started to bubble and firecoachtomy.com had sprung up. I mean, it was a tough time. And I remember Phipp saying, someday this is all going to come together. Someday we're going to get a chance to do it our way. And I almost, I'm not even going to lie like, I welled up when I heard that you were named as the next head coach at the University of Arizona. Because I remember that conversation in that instant and I thought, freaking Dave Phipp is a prophet. Like he, he knew what was going to happen. Maybe not the details, but it did. And, and so things I've seen along the way, definitely cheering for you at San Jose and watching the players first mentality that, that I've seen you cultivate and even when you were a ga, just the positive, the coach him up mentality. Coach was beloved by his players.
- [19:37]
Toby Brooks
He was, he was tough, he wasn't.
- [19:38]
Brent Brennan
Going to be easy on you. But you know, he, he was beloved by many players, including Brad. What do you think made Coach Tomy so impactful in their lives beyond the football field?
- [19:51]
Dick Tomey
I think they all cared about them like outside of football. I think, you know, football, this game on this level can be so much about touches or targets or tackles or the NFL. And you know, Coach Tomi believed that the football would take care of itself. But our real job as coaches was to mentor and guide and develop young men off the field as leaders, as husbands, as fathers.
- [20:20]
Toby Brooks
This is something that's really been weighing on me heavily with each new episode of the show and every new guest that I get to hear from in my mind. Great coaching should be timeless. It transcends generations. And of course, a recognized leader and molder of men like Dick Tomey would be successful in today's game, right? After all, I mean, that family first, the team, the team, the team approach to college football. It's as important now as it ever was, right? Right. Sadly, I don't think so. And it isn't because it's antiquated or old fashioned or out of style or any less important than it's ever been. It's because the game has changed. The old rules requiring athletes who transfer to lose a season of eligibility and have to sit out a year were detriments to rampant roster shifts and the hard line for amateurism and no pay for play meant that rosters, at least on paper, were made up of equals. No prima donnas, no multi million dollar quarterbacks threatening to sit it out if they don't get their bag Prior to the advent of the transfer portal in 2018, approximately 4% of NCAA FBS football players transferred every season. In 2223, 2707 FPS players transferred on a 100 man roster. That number jumped from about 4 guys to nearly 30 on every team for 2425. That number has swollen even more to 3718 D1 football players declaring for the portal and you know, basketball is maybe even crazier. My own Baylor Bears have literally lost every single player from this past season's roster to graduation, to the NBA or more commonly to the transfer portal. Every single player. Not one person coming back from last year. And you know, I believe this is why we've seen coaching greats call it a career. The era of being able to invest in a young person and grow them for years is gone. I'm not placing blame, but I am completely convinced that a coach like Dick Thomey simply would not participate in a system where a fourth or a third of his team just up and left to seek out greener pastures every season. I don't think he could handle it. It's tragic really. This show and this idea of struggling through adversity and finding success through pain is an idea that today's high level athlete doesn't really have to confront. Again, I'm not blaming them. If you're unhappy with your place on the depth chart, you can go somewhere else. Chances are make more money doing it.
- [23:00]
Brent Brennan
Who among us wouldn't?
- [23:02]
Toby Brooks
If you don't like how a coach or sports staff person talk to you, you can transfer. It's a complicated reality and it's one Brent's generation of coaches has been forced to reconcile and wrestle with that his predecessors did not. While the Nick Sabins and the Mike Krzyzewskis are pretty much done and they can walk away. Younger coaches like Brent don't have that luxury. They have to find a way to stay true to that training and that tutelage that they received from those family first type coaches who worked in a bygone era to find a Way to make it work with a modern system where pretty much everyone is figuring it out on the fly day by day for the first time. It can be a tough thing to do. But I'll say this. Brent does it well. Even if he's faced criticism from media types and fans in the process, honoring and respecting his players and their families.
- [23:57]
Dick Tomey
And so he leans so heavy into that. And that just left such a strong imprint on all of us. And I think it doesn't matter who, like any Tomy guy you talk to. Shoot. We had Lance Briggs and Paul Shields in here last week to speak to our team. Just, like, how much they all talked about just how special he was in their life. And I think you didn't have to talk to coach Tomi for very long to know that he was actually listening. Like, it was like. That was like one of his real superpowers is that he wasn't distracted when you were talking. He was locked in. He was really intentional and sincere in listening to and hearing what you had to say.
- [24:29]
Toby Brooks
Yeah.
- [24:30]
Brent Brennan
And I've heard and through this project, really dug deep and seen video footage of him speaking to your players at San Jose and. And some other speaking that he's done. And I think he really. He didn't like this social media, the cell phone, this distraction generation. Because you're right. Like, he would look through your soul with those eyes and grab you by the back of the neck and pull you in and. And I can remember even just seeing that when he would have that conversation with a player. It's not happening to me. And I'm like, holy cow, this guy's intense. And he is loving these players as hard as he knows how to love them. And I. I was just so taken with the fact that that could happen in big time college football. I just didn't expect it.
- [25:16]
Dick Tomey
Yeah. No, I. I think his way was different, and I think the world has gone more that way now. But I think it's because we feel like it's the right way. And, you know, the coach Tomy's magic was like, you said that looking into your soul and able to find a way to connect and. And push you to levels that you didn't think you could get to. He even did that for me as a coach. I mean, there were so many times where he would. When I was an assistant, where he would cuss me out. Shoot. He did it when I was a head coach. I mean, he let me have it after a game. My first year at Hawaii, he was at the game and he Let me have it. But he was. You always knew it came from a good place, and you always knew that he wanted what was best for you. And I think he did a great job. And for him, he was also good at connecting with all the players on the team. It wasn't just the superstars, you know, it was every. Every player on the team felt they had a connection to him.
- [26:06]
Brent Brennan
Yeah, no doubt. Well, your story is particularly interesting because you were there for the last game in Arizona, and then that staff kind of goes their separate way. A big chunk of you go to Cal Poly with Coach Ellerson, like you mentioned. You went some other places, but then circle back and you become a part of his staff at San Jose, and you're there for that 2010 season when he coaches in his last game as a head coach. What did you learn about Coach Tomy during that part of your career that you didn't maybe already know about him? And how do you think it impacted you as a future head coach yourself?
- [26:43]
Dick Tomey
Well, he always had just such class and grace to him. And whether it was going really good or not good, like he didn't change. Like he didn't, you know, change up who he was based on the outcome of the football game. And that was something, you know, at that time, there was just some extreme challenges at San Jose State, I mean, unlike maybe anyone else in America had to endure. And he was just, you know, kind of weathering the storm, you know, trying to help them get through it. And really, there's. There's now having been back at San Jose, there's lots of people in San Jose that credit. Dick Tomy was saving football at San Jose State. I mean, it was really on the brink of not being a part of their existence anymore as an institution. So everybody gives Coach Tomi a ton of credit for that. But that was his magic, man. And, you know, it was cool. I remember coming down here for his funeral when we all came down here, spring of 19. I mean, there's a ton of players from San Jose State here, like guys that drove here from LA or flew in. I mean, it's just there were players that been coached all over the country that showed up for that service here. It's really, really special.
- [27:46]
Brent Brennan
Yeah, well, you mentioned Hawaii, and you have a unique connection to Hawaii that continues even to this day.
- [27:52]
Dick Tomey
To this day.
- [27:53]
Brent Brennan
Your cousin, legendary quarterback at Hawaii. Coach Tomi's career began there. And now there's definitely that. That Hawaiian connection persists to this day.
- [28:03]
Dick Tomey
To this day.
- [28:04]
Brent Brennan
Roster, I remember seeing you wear the lay in Big 12 media days, and it was still part of your wardrobe. To an outsider, this coach from California who's in Tucson, Arizona, is kind of a. An odd pick to be wearing a lay on a sideline during a college football game. But famously, Coach Tomi embraced that culture fast and hard. He wore the aloha shirts. He wore the lays. I've heard from Jesse Zapolu how he learned the culture and sat on the floor and just did things to connect with that culture. Talk to me about that connection and what he did all the way back in 1977 that you and your staff still pay homage to today.
- [28:51]
Dick Tomey
Well, it's funny because, like, there were so many people that were so upset that I was wearing the legs, and I, you know, to me, that was me being respectful to the. The mothers and the grandmothers of players that had given them to me. And I. I thought it was more important that I was respectful to them. And so, you know, those things are, you know, just choose what's going to be. If we had played better football, it wouldn't have mattered. You know, we just did. We didn't play enough football. But, you know, I think coach told me was the first, you know, American football coach to travel to American and Western Samoa and, you know, go to Tonga. And, you know, I think that part of it was Fiji, you know, Australia and. And so. And him having such a large chunk of his career and the way he is with people, like, the way he is with people was such a connection to kind of the Polynesian culture also. Right. Just like. Like just that total family that kind of real inclusive. Like, that was. That was who Coach Tomi was. And so that was something that I was, you know, having been a part of his teams early on and then having a chance to have a bunch of time, you know, on the island or had teammates or had coach players that were Polynesian, that part of it has been such an important piece of Arizona football. It was an important piece for us at San Jose State also. And so, you know, that's one of those things that we're going to lean heavy into, because outside of the great players that those young men can be, they also bring an awesome culture component to your football team.
- [30:22]
Toby Brooks
Yeah, absolutely.
- [30:24]
Brent Brennan
And so I just want to thank you.
- [30:25]
Toby Brooks
I mean, it.
- [30:27]
Brent Brennan
It's awesome to me that. That you would continue to show respect in that way. And. And I. I saw the same thing in Coach Tommy. You know, wearing an aloha shirt, he might have taken some barbs and some criticism in the Media, like, what. What is this guy doing? But it, it's, it's a player's first mentality. It's, it's showing respect not only to your players, but to their family, to the people who have entrusted the most important people in their lives to you for the next however many years. And hats off to you and your staff for that. Are there any specific moments or stories or conversations with Coach Tomi that have stuck out with you over the years? Let's start with a funny one first. Any funny coach, Tell me stories that bubble up to your consciousness when I ask.
- [31:09]
Dick Tomey
There's so many. I'm trying to think. At which stop were the, were the funniest? You know, we had. It wasn't funny. I alluded to her earlier, but when we were playing, I was coaching in my first year and we were playing at Hawaii and they had a pretty good football team and we were just getting started in San Jose, so we had a lot of work to do. And we, we go over there and we are in the game late in the game, and we return a kickoff for a touchdown. And when we return the kickoff for a touchdown, it's going to now make it a two point game and we're going to kick the pat. And so, but as our guys are scoring, they celebrate and they like get into the end zone and do this big, like, crazy, like, celebration and they get like flags thrown everywhere. And. And so then that backs our, you know, penalty, backs our field goal unit, the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And so then that pat gets blocked and returned for a touchdown. So now instead of it being a game that we can win with a field goal, now we have to score a touchdown. And we were heavily penalized in the game, so which, you know, with Coach Tomy's kind of lack of discipline and it was just really frustrating. So after the game, I was talking to media, but he was walking down the field of Loa Stadium, walking straight at me. And I could see him when he was coming. When he was upset with you, he kind of walked with a forward lean and he was looking right at me. And I saw the media and I was trying to get rid of the media. I was doing my press conference on the field. So, like, I was like, okay, hey, thanks, good talking to you. And so then, like, as he came, I backed up and I was in the tunnel. And so I said, coach, I'm, I, I know what you're gonna say. And he goes, don't apologize to me. Like, you get in that locker room. Right now. And you apologize to the, you know, to your players, because this is your fault. Because you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen. Which was like one of his, yes, Tomyisms, like, to the core.
- [33:06]
Toby Brooks
You'Re either coaching it or you're allowing it to happen. Not just a catchy saying on a T shirt, not just something he said when a microphone was pointed in his face. We've heard this exact quote time and time again. I've said it myself over the years. It is core to the Dick Thomey ethos. And in a moment of pointed mentoring after a tough loss, recognize that a now retired Dick Thomey reminded his young apprentice, now a head coach himself, that coaching doesn't just involve what you say. It also involves what you fail to say, what you choose not to say. And this, my friends, is a masterclass in leadership that I needed to hear. You're either specifically telling the people who have trusted their livelihoods, even their lives, or the lives of the people they love the most. You're either giving them exactly what you expect, or you are failing to address things you know in your heart to be less than you expected from them. Coach also famously told so many that he loved them so much that he was going to tell them the truth. And in that moment, as harsh as it may have been and as uncomfortable as it probably was to be on the receiving end of it mattered, it stuck. That unfortunate lack of discipline had cost San Jose State the game in 2017. They'd go just 2 and 11. That's easy. But three seasons later, Brent would guide the Spartans to a 71 Covid shortened record, going 60 in the Mountain west and earning a berth to the Arizona Bowl. We don't always have to enjoy hard coaching from our mentors, but sometimes it is exactly what we needed.
- [34:48]
Dick Tomey
And so, yeah, cussed out by Coach Tomi in the tunnel, and then I had to go apologize to my team. But there was just so many moments like that with him. He was, you know, he was great with my family. He was close with my wife and kids, obviously. Nancy was always a huge part of the program and. And she still is. We still see her. She still comes to practice, she still comes to games, but yeah, he was. There's so many funny stories. I'm trying to think of a great one from a good one from San Jose State. This is like an awesome coach, Tony. So every morning he would go get Nancy coffee. So he'd go get her coffee at like, Starbucks, whatever. And they lived in Santana Rose like this really nice area of San Jose. We're all coaching there. And so one day when he was working, he was going to get coffee, just like ducked into this, like, really nice hotel. And with his, like, Coach Tomi charm, he brokered a deal for us to stay at that hotel. And they've been in San Jose State for recruits. And so San Jose State has been hosting recruits at that hotel since 2005. Like, we still did it when I was there. And it's a wonderful, amazing place. And that was just like he just went in there and worked his magic. And that deal is long lasted. Yeah, man, it's 20 years.
- [36:01]
Brent Brennan
Yeah. The stories of the things he did beyond the game, that you really can't appreciate the volume of them because you might have had one thing like that happen to you or your program, but then there's 20 or 30 or 100 other guys that all have similar stories. And I'm just consistently amazed, not just at how hard he loved his people and everybody was his people, but the scope of how hard he loved his people was just kind of staggering. I've heard people talk about Tomi season when, you know, the coaching carousel starts and he's on the phone trying to give people jobs and. And that was just his way. I've always been impressed by that. Well, I know in talking to Brad and not to get too personal, but losing your dad was. Was a big loss and, and Coach Tomi's loss, I think impacted you and Brad in similar ways. If you had a chance, if. If by some miracle we could schedule time for Coach Tomey to walk through your office door in the morning and sit down and you could have a conversation with him, what would you say and what would you. And what would you ask him that maybe you never got a chance to.
- [37:14]
Dick Tomey
I think, I think I would. You know, I would just say that I've missed him on this journey that I've been on. You know, he kind of passed away right at the beginning, you know, of. Of us getting the program turned around in San Jose State. And I think he would really enjoy, you know, being a part of that and, and I would have enjoyed pulling him into it and having him talk to the team and, you know, that. That part of it, I think. And it would have been cool being back here because they ended up in Tucson. It would have been amazing to be able to have him be a part of what we're doing with our football team here now. You know, I think that part of it would be just amazing in terms of What I would ask him, I probably. I think now that I've been doing this a little bit longer, I would ask him more about, like, the biggest mistakes he made, you know, just as you. I think when everybody gets a head coaching job, there's no, like, manual for this. Like, every place is different. Every job, like, the football is the football, but the majority of the job is all the other stuff that surrounds it. Right. It's campus, it's alumni, it's administration. It's like all these things. It's just. It's just such a different. Every place is different. And so I would want to lean in a little bit more to some of those things.
- [38:30]
Brent Brennan
Yeah.
- [38:30]
Dick Tomey
With him just like, hey, what did. What did you learn at each stop? You know, what did you wish. What had you wish you done, you know, going into the second year at San Jose or the second year, Arizona, when you first took over Hawaii? So, yeah, I would definitely really want to lean on his. His experience. But it is like losing him was impactful. He was kind of like my. My professional dad, you know, I mean, that part of it was very, very real. He was the guy called every Sunday. We talk about the games and. And, you know, he was alive for this really tough stretch of my head. Coaching career. Right. And so those conversations on Sunday were not always pleasant, but. But they were always honest and they were always direct and they were always heartfelt, you know, and they were all, you know, him giving me his best, trying to help me, which I always appreciated.
- [39:22]
Toby Brooks
Absolutely.
- [39:23]
Brent Brennan
Well, I visited Tucson for the first time in a long time two years ago. And on campus, you know, wow, Baseball stadium's gone. That's a big deal. But then to see coach, tell me, practice fields, what's it like for you and your staff to.
- [39:38]
Dick Tomey
To.
- [39:38]
Brent Brennan
To put on the whistles and slide on the pullover or the T shirt or whatever and go walk out on the dick. Tell me, practice field.
- [39:45]
Dick Tomey
I think it's so cool. I think it's cool because every day I get all these reminders of who he was in my life and who he was for this university and. And for the other places he was. You know, I think. I think it's rare when you think about somebody every day of your life on the job and someone that you worked with and. And that's who Coach Tony is for me.
- [40:08]
Toby Brooks
Yeah. Fantastic.
- [40:09]
Brent Brennan
Well, Brent, thank you so much for your time. I am so appreciative. I know you're so busy pulling for you Arizona and the Big 12. Still doesn't seem quite right. To me, like the Pac 12's demise still hurts, but definitely pulling for for the Wildcats.
- [40:26]
Dick Tomey
Brent Brennan, Head Coach at the University of Arizona and I am undone.
- [40:31]
Toby Brooks
What a powerful conversation. Brent Brennan's journey isn't just a series of coaching stops. It's a living testament to the kind of leader Coach Dick tell Me was and the kind of legacy he left behind. You heard it in Brent's voice. The gratitude, the conviction, the heartbreak, the resolve. Maybe you noticed it too, that quiet thread running through every story. It wasn't just about game plans and schemes. It was about people. Coach Dick Thomey didn't just coach football. He built men. He modeled what it meant to lead with integrity, to listen deeply, to love fiercely, and to never stop believing that who you are off the field is at least every bit as important as what you do on it. Brent carries that with him every team meeting, every whistle blown, every practice session on those fields that now bear Coach Tomy's name. That's the legacy at work. Alive, present, still shaping futures. It's easy to talk about someone's impact when they're gone. What's harder and far more powerful is to live it out in real time. Brent Brendan is doing just that. And in doing so, he's making sure Coach Tomy's story doesn't just get remembered. Gets continued. Speaking of continue Next time on Becoming Undone, we'll sit down with former Arizona football athletic trainer Maggie lacambra. I'm also trying to pin down the elusive and now retired Wendell Neal, who served as equipment manager for the team for years. We'll have this and more coming up on Becoming Undone. If you're listening and want to be on the show or know someone who does, let me know about it. And hey, if you've made it this far, do me a favor. Text this episode to someone else who was touched by Coach Tomi. Let them know whether they knew him personally or just learned from someone who did invite them to come along for the journey. We're nearing the end of the journey, by the way, but we aren't there yet. This is Becoming Undone. The Life Lessons and legacy of Dick Tomi A Toby Brooks Passion Project Becoming Undone is a nitro hype creative production written and produced by me, Toby Brooks. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at Becoming Undone Pod and Obij Brooks. Check out my link tree at linktr EE backslash tobyjbrooks. Subscribe and leave me a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you're listening right now. Until next time to thanks for listening. Be purposeful. Be relentless. Love someone enough to tell them the truth and keep getting better.