Football

Holy Cross Names Tom Gilmore Head Football Coach

Dec 24, 2003

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Former Lehigh defensive coordinator Tom Gilmore was hired as the new football coach at Holy Cross.

Gilmore replaces Dan Allen, who was fired last month after Holy Cross set single-season record for losses in a 1-11 season.

"Tom's enthusiasm, energy and intelligence was very evident throughout the interview process and we feel that he is the man to bring Holy Cross football back to the top," Holy Cross athletic director Richard Regan said in a statement.

Gilmore spent the last four seasons as defensive coordinator at Lehigh, which last season led the Patriot League in points allowed (16.8). Lehigh has ranked in the top three in scoring defense during Gilmore's four seasons.

In 2001, Gilmore was named the American Football Coaches Association's Assistant Coach of the Year. That year's squad allowed only 86 rushing yards per game, and featured the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in Abdul Byron.

Gilmore came to Lehigh after coaching for eight years at Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, Gilmore served as offensive line coach, linebacker coach, and defensive coordinator. He helped lead the Big Green to two Ivy League Championships, in 1992 and 1996. During the 1996 season Dartmouth posted a 10-0 record and was ranked 17th in Division I-AA.

Gilmore began his coaching career as an assistant defensive line coach at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. From 1987-89 he served as the defensive line coach and outside linebacker coach at Columbia before returning to Pennsylvania in 1990. For two years Gilmore coached the Quaker offensive line before landing at Dartmouth.

An Academic All-American for the Quakers, Gilmore played defensive tackle while at Pennsylvania and was the Ivy League Player of the Year in his senior season. In his four-year career he helped lead Penn to four consecutive Ivy League Championships. In 1986 he received his bachelor's in computer mathematics and signed with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL where he played outside linebacker for a season.