Football
Gilmore , Tom
Tom Gilmore
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- emb2@lehigh.edu
- Phone:
- 610-758-4290
An intense and passionate leader with more than 30 years of coaching experience at high-end academic institutions, Tom Gilmore is in his fourth season as Lehigh’s head football coach. Gilmore was hired on January 8, 2019 as the 29th head football coach in school history. The appointment marked a return to Lehigh for Gilmore, who spent four seasons as the Mountain Hawks’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2000-2003.
In his first three seasons as Lehigh’s head coach, 16 Mountain Hawks have garnered All-Patriot League recognition.
Lehigh overcame a tough start to finish the 2021 season with a flourish, as the Mountain Hawks won their final three games, capped by a 17-10 triumph over Lafayette to give Gilmore his first win as a head coach in The Rivalry.
The 2021 season saw a number of younger Mountain Hawks grow into larger roles. Four defensive players garnered All-Patriot League recognition: TyGee Leach, Pete Haffner, Mikhari Sibblis and LaTreil Wimberly, as the unit helped keep the Mountain Hawks in most games.
The rivalry win was preceded by convincing Patriot League victories over Bucknell and Georgetown.
Gilmore guided the Mountain Hawks through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out the 2020 spring and fall campaigns. The Mountain Hawks continued to work when they could and were ultimately able to take the field for three games during the abbreviated spring 2021 season. Lehigh’s defense kept the Mountain Hawks in all three spring games as the brown and white finished the spring 2021 season ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense.
Six players earned All-Patriot League honors, with sophomore safety TyGee Leach garnering first team laurels. Linebacker Pete Haffner was a repeat All-Patriot League honoree and he and junior Austin Dambach once again garnered academic recognition from the Patriot League and CoSIDA.
In his first season back in Bethlehem, Gilmore’s Mountain Hawks displayed grit and enthusiasm. Improvements were noticeable, especially on the defensive side of the ball, were Lehigh allowed an average of 14 fewer points and 100 fewer yards than in 2018. Eight of Lehigh’s 11 games were decided by a touchdown or less. Gilmore’s first win as Lehigh’s head coach was a 10-3 triumph over Merrimack on Sept. 28 at Goodman Stadium. In that game, the Mountain Hawks held the Warriors to minus-25 rushing yards, while recording six sacks and a pair of takeaways.
Gilmore also won his first three Patriot League contests, with victories at Colgate and Fordham and at home against Georgetown all sealed on the game’s final play.
Individually, six Mountain Hawks garnered All-Patriot League recognition with wide receiver Devon Bibbens, linebacker Keith Woetzel and special teams ace Jack Bush earning first team honors. Woetzel went on to garner All-America honors from several outlets and was an All-ECAC honoree. Linebacker Pete Haffner was an Academic All-Patriot League honoree for the second straight season and added CoSIDA Academic All-District honors along with wide receiver Austin Dambach.
Gilmore spent the 2018 season at Wake Forest, working on a staff that was led by former Lehigh offensive coordinator Dave Clawson and that also featured former Lehigh head coach Kevin Higgins, who hired Gilmore to lead Lehigh’s defense in 2000. He initially joined the Demon Deacons as a defensive analyst for the 2018 season but was elevated to coach the outside linebackers following an in-season change in defensive leadership. Wake Forest capped its 2018 campaign with a 37-34 win over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.
Prior to the 2018 season, all of Gilmore’s previous coaching experience came from Patriot League or Ivy League institutions.
Gilmore spent 14 seasons as head coach at Holy Cross, where he was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and led the Crusaders to a Patriot League Championship and FCS Playoff appearance in 2009. His 72 victories rank second in Holy Cross history, and included a 41-40 Patriot League record.
During Gilmore’s time at Holy Cross, 102 Crusaders were named to All-Patriot League teams. Under Gilmore’s guidance, quarterback Dominic Randolph was a three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and was a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the outstanding offensive player in the FCS. Holy Cross had eight winning seasons during Gilmore’s tenure, and in a five-season stretch from 2007-2011, the Crusaders finished no worse that second in the Patriot League standings.
Gilmore’s Holy Cross teams were also successful in the classroom. The Crusaders received NCAA academic progress rate public recognition awards in seven of his final 11 seasons and Holy Cross consistently ranked at or near the top of the Patriot League in terms of NCAA academic progress rates and graduation success rates.
The most successful Holy Cross team of the Gilmore Era was the 2009 squad, which won the program’s first Patriot League title in 18 years, with a 9-3 overall record, as the Crusaders made just their second NCAA playoff appearance. Gilmore’s 2009 team led the Patriot League in scoring offense (32.2 points/game) and ranked fourth nationally in passing offense (314.9 yards/game) and sixth in total offense (433.6 yards/game).
Following the 2009 season, two Crusaders earned All-America honors, while 15 were named All-Patriot League. Gilmore was named Patriot League Coach of the Year, New England Coach of the Year, and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. He was also named Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2006 after guiding the Crusaders to a 7-4 season and 4-2 league mark.
Gilmore took over the Holy Cross program in 2004, following four successful seasons serving as Lehigh’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In his initial four-year stint at Lehigh, Gilmore helped lead the Mountain Hawks to a 39-9 overall record. Lehigh posted back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and won Patriot League titles and qualified for the I-AA playoffs in Gilmore’s first two seasons, 2000 and 2001. The Mountain Hawks won playoff games in both of those seasons and captured the 2001 Lambert Cup.
In 2003, Gilmore molded Lehigh’s defense into one of the top units at its level. Lehigh led the Patriot League in scoring defense (16.8 points/game) and sacks (34), and ranked second in rushing defense (126.2 yards/game) and total defense (304.9 yards/game).
The 2001 season saw Gilmore named Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, after helping transform a young and inexperienced defense into one of the top units in Division I-AA. The Mountain Hawks ranked fifth nationally in rushing defense and 12th in scoring defense. Lehigh also ranked in the top 20 in total defense and ranked fifth in turnover margin. That season, Lehigh posted a 10-0 regular season and then defeated Hofstra 27-24 in an overtime thriller at Goodman Stadium in the opening round of the I-AA playoffs.
In Gilmore’s first season at Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense and fifth in both rushing defense and turnover margin. In addition, Lehigh’s defense ranked fourth nationally with 22 interceptions and scored five defensive touchdowns.
Gilmore came to Lehigh after eight seasons at Dartmouth, where he coached the offensive line before taking over the linebackers and eventually, serving as defensive coordinator. He helped the Big Green to two Ivy League titles, including the 1996 season in which Dartmouth went 10-0 and finished the season ranked 17th nationally. In Gilmore’s tenure, Dartmouth posted a 22-game unbeaten streak from 1995-1997. He also coached a team of Ivy League All-Stars to a victory in the 1996 Epsom Ivy Bowl in Osaka, Japan.
While serving as Dartmouth’s defensive coordinator in 1997, Gilmore oversaw one of the top defensive units in recent school history. The Big Green boasted the nation’s second-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 77.3 yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry. Dartmouth allowed just 16.5 points per game in 1997 while recording 40 quarterback sacks and 17 interceptions in 10 games.
Gilmore’s coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as assistant defensive line coach in 1986. He then moved on to Columbia for three seasons as defensive line and outside linebackers coach, before returning to Penn for two seasons as offensive line coach.
A standout defensive lineman at Penn, Gilmore earned All-Ivy honors as part of three consecutive Ivy League championship teams, and was an All-American in his final two seasons. As a senior in 1985, Gilmore received the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League Player of the Year, and was one of only two linemen to ever claim the honor before it was divided into offensive and defensive awards in 2012. He also earned the George A. Munger Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player, the Chuck Bednarik Award as the team’s top lineman and the Class of 1915 Award as Penn’s top male scholar-athlete.
Gilmore is a 1986 graduate of Penn with a degree in computer mathematics. He and his wife Joan have a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Jack.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT TOM GILMORE
“Tom Gilmore had direct and successful experience at Lehigh and in our league, and was the candidate we felt would be most able to make a smooth and rapid transition. He is highly respected by his peers, a very effective recruiter, and has demonstrated a commitment to academics, student athlete development, and strong alumni relations."
- Joe Sterrett ’76, Lehigh Goodman Dean of Athletics
“Tom Gilmore was a very valuable member of our football staff this year and was instrumental in our defense's improvement during the second half of the season. Tom is an excellent defensive coach and has a proven track record as a head coach in the Patriot League. We thank Tom for his contributions to Wake Forest football and wish him all the best in his new position."
- Dave Clawson, Wake Forest Head Coach and former Lehigh Offensive Coordinator
"Tom Gilmore is an outstanding coach. He is very knowledgeable and has a tremendous work ethic. He is a relentless recruiter that has a wealth of information on the Patriot League."
- Kevin Higgins, former Lehigh Head Coach and current Assistant Head Coach at Wake Forest
“I want to congratulate Tom Gilmore on becoming the next head football coach at Lehigh. I have known Tom for many years, having coached against him on many occasions. Tom’s teams at Holy Cross were always prepared and played hard. He knows the Lehigh community well after spending time here under Kevin Higgins and Pete Lembo. He is aware of Lehigh’s great football tradition and I am sure he will continue to lead this program in the right direction.”
- Andy Coen, former Lehigh Head Coach
“Coach Gilmore knows the Patriot League and the area and considers Lehigh home. He coached one of the toughest defenses we ever had at Lehigh and earned the respect of many of my teammates during my career. Many people think of coach Gilmore as only a football coach, but he personally went out of his way to help me during my early years at Lehigh as I was finding myself academically. That has stuck with me personally for a long time.”
- Mike Gregorek ’04, All-Patriot League defensive lineman
“Coach Gilmore played a key role, not only in the success of our team from 2000-03, but also in my own personal success as well. He is one of the most intense and knowledgeable coaches I have ever been around, and to this day, I use what I learned from him with my own team.”
- Tom McGeoy ’04, All-Patriot League linebacker and current high school coach
THE TOM GILMORE FILE
Born: September 25, 1964
Wife: Joan
Children: Daughter, Sarah; son, Jack
High School: Northeast Catholic (Philadelphia)
College: University of Pennsylvania 1986 (B.A. – Computer Mathematics)
Collegiate Coaching Resume
2019-present Lehigh University, Head Coach
2018 Wake Forest University, Outside Linebackers Coach
2004-2017 College of the Holy Cross, Head Coach
2000-2003 Lehigh University, Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
1996-1999 Dartmouth College, Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
1992-1995 Dartmouth College, Offensive Line Coach
1990-1991 University of Pennsylvania, Offensive Line Coach
1987-1989 Columbia University, Defensive Line and Outside Linebackers Coach
1986 University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Defensive
In his first three seasons as Lehigh’s head coach, 16 Mountain Hawks have garnered All-Patriot League recognition.
Lehigh overcame a tough start to finish the 2021 season with a flourish, as the Mountain Hawks won their final three games, capped by a 17-10 triumph over Lafayette to give Gilmore his first win as a head coach in The Rivalry.
The 2021 season saw a number of younger Mountain Hawks grow into larger roles. Four defensive players garnered All-Patriot League recognition: TyGee Leach, Pete Haffner, Mikhari Sibblis and LaTreil Wimberly, as the unit helped keep the Mountain Hawks in most games.
The rivalry win was preceded by convincing Patriot League victories over Bucknell and Georgetown.
Gilmore guided the Mountain Hawks through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out the 2020 spring and fall campaigns. The Mountain Hawks continued to work when they could and were ultimately able to take the field for three games during the abbreviated spring 2021 season. Lehigh’s defense kept the Mountain Hawks in all three spring games as the brown and white finished the spring 2021 season ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense.
Six players earned All-Patriot League honors, with sophomore safety TyGee Leach garnering first team laurels. Linebacker Pete Haffner was a repeat All-Patriot League honoree and he and junior Austin Dambach once again garnered academic recognition from the Patriot League and CoSIDA.
In his first season back in Bethlehem, Gilmore’s Mountain Hawks displayed grit and enthusiasm. Improvements were noticeable, especially on the defensive side of the ball, were Lehigh allowed an average of 14 fewer points and 100 fewer yards than in 2018. Eight of Lehigh’s 11 games were decided by a touchdown or less. Gilmore’s first win as Lehigh’s head coach was a 10-3 triumph over Merrimack on Sept. 28 at Goodman Stadium. In that game, the Mountain Hawks held the Warriors to minus-25 rushing yards, while recording six sacks and a pair of takeaways.
Gilmore also won his first three Patriot League contests, with victories at Colgate and Fordham and at home against Georgetown all sealed on the game’s final play.
Individually, six Mountain Hawks garnered All-Patriot League recognition with wide receiver Devon Bibbens, linebacker Keith Woetzel and special teams ace Jack Bush earning first team honors. Woetzel went on to garner All-America honors from several outlets and was an All-ECAC honoree. Linebacker Pete Haffner was an Academic All-Patriot League honoree for the second straight season and added CoSIDA Academic All-District honors along with wide receiver Austin Dambach.
Gilmore spent the 2018 season at Wake Forest, working on a staff that was led by former Lehigh offensive coordinator Dave Clawson and that also featured former Lehigh head coach Kevin Higgins, who hired Gilmore to lead Lehigh’s defense in 2000. He initially joined the Demon Deacons as a defensive analyst for the 2018 season but was elevated to coach the outside linebackers following an in-season change in defensive leadership. Wake Forest capped its 2018 campaign with a 37-34 win over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.
Prior to the 2018 season, all of Gilmore’s previous coaching experience came from Patriot League or Ivy League institutions.
Gilmore spent 14 seasons as head coach at Holy Cross, where he was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and led the Crusaders to a Patriot League Championship and FCS Playoff appearance in 2009. His 72 victories rank second in Holy Cross history, and included a 41-40 Patriot League record.
During Gilmore’s time at Holy Cross, 102 Crusaders were named to All-Patriot League teams. Under Gilmore’s guidance, quarterback Dominic Randolph was a three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and was a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the outstanding offensive player in the FCS. Holy Cross had eight winning seasons during Gilmore’s tenure, and in a five-season stretch from 2007-2011, the Crusaders finished no worse that second in the Patriot League standings.
Gilmore’s Holy Cross teams were also successful in the classroom. The Crusaders received NCAA academic progress rate public recognition awards in seven of his final 11 seasons and Holy Cross consistently ranked at or near the top of the Patriot League in terms of NCAA academic progress rates and graduation success rates.
The most successful Holy Cross team of the Gilmore Era was the 2009 squad, which won the program’s first Patriot League title in 18 years, with a 9-3 overall record, as the Crusaders made just their second NCAA playoff appearance. Gilmore’s 2009 team led the Patriot League in scoring offense (32.2 points/game) and ranked fourth nationally in passing offense (314.9 yards/game) and sixth in total offense (433.6 yards/game).
Following the 2009 season, two Crusaders earned All-America honors, while 15 were named All-Patriot League. Gilmore was named Patriot League Coach of the Year, New England Coach of the Year, and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. He was also named Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2006 after guiding the Crusaders to a 7-4 season and 4-2 league mark.
Gilmore took over the Holy Cross program in 2004, following four successful seasons serving as Lehigh’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In his initial four-year stint at Lehigh, Gilmore helped lead the Mountain Hawks to a 39-9 overall record. Lehigh posted back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and won Patriot League titles and qualified for the I-AA playoffs in Gilmore’s first two seasons, 2000 and 2001. The Mountain Hawks won playoff games in both of those seasons and captured the 2001 Lambert Cup.
In 2003, Gilmore molded Lehigh’s defense into one of the top units at its level. Lehigh led the Patriot League in scoring defense (16.8 points/game) and sacks (34), and ranked second in rushing defense (126.2 yards/game) and total defense (304.9 yards/game).
The 2001 season saw Gilmore named Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, after helping transform a young and inexperienced defense into one of the top units in Division I-AA. The Mountain Hawks ranked fifth nationally in rushing defense and 12th in scoring defense. Lehigh also ranked in the top 20 in total defense and ranked fifth in turnover margin. That season, Lehigh posted a 10-0 regular season and then defeated Hofstra 27-24 in an overtime thriller at Goodman Stadium in the opening round of the I-AA playoffs.
In Gilmore’s first season at Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense and fifth in both rushing defense and turnover margin. In addition, Lehigh’s defense ranked fourth nationally with 22 interceptions and scored five defensive touchdowns.
Gilmore came to Lehigh after eight seasons at Dartmouth, where he coached the offensive line before taking over the linebackers and eventually, serving as defensive coordinator. He helped the Big Green to two Ivy League titles, including the 1996 season in which Dartmouth went 10-0 and finished the season ranked 17th nationally. In Gilmore’s tenure, Dartmouth posted a 22-game unbeaten streak from 1995-1997. He also coached a team of Ivy League All-Stars to a victory in the 1996 Epsom Ivy Bowl in Osaka, Japan.
While serving as Dartmouth’s defensive coordinator in 1997, Gilmore oversaw one of the top defensive units in recent school history. The Big Green boasted the nation’s second-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 77.3 yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry. Dartmouth allowed just 16.5 points per game in 1997 while recording 40 quarterback sacks and 17 interceptions in 10 games.
Gilmore’s coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as assistant defensive line coach in 1986. He then moved on to Columbia for three seasons as defensive line and outside linebackers coach, before returning to Penn for two seasons as offensive line coach.
A standout defensive lineman at Penn, Gilmore earned All-Ivy honors as part of three consecutive Ivy League championship teams, and was an All-American in his final two seasons. As a senior in 1985, Gilmore received the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League Player of the Year, and was one of only two linemen to ever claim the honor before it was divided into offensive and defensive awards in 2012. He also earned the George A. Munger Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player, the Chuck Bednarik Award as the team’s top lineman and the Class of 1915 Award as Penn’s top male scholar-athlete.
Gilmore is a 1986 graduate of Penn with a degree in computer mathematics. He and his wife Joan have a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Jack.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT TOM GILMORE
“Tom Gilmore had direct and successful experience at Lehigh and in our league, and was the candidate we felt would be most able to make a smooth and rapid transition. He is highly respected by his peers, a very effective recruiter, and has demonstrated a commitment to academics, student athlete development, and strong alumni relations."
- Joe Sterrett ’76, Lehigh Goodman Dean of Athletics
“Tom Gilmore was a very valuable member of our football staff this year and was instrumental in our defense's improvement during the second half of the season. Tom is an excellent defensive coach and has a proven track record as a head coach in the Patriot League. We thank Tom for his contributions to Wake Forest football and wish him all the best in his new position."
- Dave Clawson, Wake Forest Head Coach and former Lehigh Offensive Coordinator
"Tom Gilmore is an outstanding coach. He is very knowledgeable and has a tremendous work ethic. He is a relentless recruiter that has a wealth of information on the Patriot League."
- Kevin Higgins, former Lehigh Head Coach and current Assistant Head Coach at Wake Forest
“I want to congratulate Tom Gilmore on becoming the next head football coach at Lehigh. I have known Tom for many years, having coached against him on many occasions. Tom’s teams at Holy Cross were always prepared and played hard. He knows the Lehigh community well after spending time here under Kevin Higgins and Pete Lembo. He is aware of Lehigh’s great football tradition and I am sure he will continue to lead this program in the right direction.”
- Andy Coen, former Lehigh Head Coach
“Coach Gilmore knows the Patriot League and the area and considers Lehigh home. He coached one of the toughest defenses we ever had at Lehigh and earned the respect of many of my teammates during my career. Many people think of coach Gilmore as only a football coach, but he personally went out of his way to help me during my early years at Lehigh as I was finding myself academically. That has stuck with me personally for a long time.”
- Mike Gregorek ’04, All-Patriot League defensive lineman
“Coach Gilmore played a key role, not only in the success of our team from 2000-03, but also in my own personal success as well. He is one of the most intense and knowledgeable coaches I have ever been around, and to this day, I use what I learned from him with my own team.”
- Tom McGeoy ’04, All-Patriot League linebacker and current high school coach
THE TOM GILMORE FILE
Born: September 25, 1964
Wife: Joan
Children: Daughter, Sarah; son, Jack
High School: Northeast Catholic (Philadelphia)
College: University of Pennsylvania 1986 (B.A. – Computer Mathematics)
Collegiate Coaching Resume
2019-present Lehigh University, Head Coach
2018 Wake Forest University, Outside Linebackers Coach
2004-2017 College of the Holy Cross, Head Coach
2000-2003 Lehigh University, Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
1996-1999 Dartmouth College, Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
1992-1995 Dartmouth College, Offensive Line Coach
1990-1991 University of Pennsylvania, Offensive Line Coach
1987-1989 Columbia University, Defensive Line and Outside Linebackers Coach
1986 University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Defensive
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