Tomey joins 49ers Former Hawaii football coach Dick Tomey has been hired as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, his first job in the pro ranks after a lengthy career as a college coach and a two-year hiatus.
as nickel teams coach
By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com"I'm sure a lot of it will be the same, but I know I have a lot to learn," Tomey, 64, said today. "It will be like drinking out of a fire hose at first."
New 49ers head coach Dennis Erickson said Tomey will work mostly on the defense.
"He'll be a defensive assistant and help with special teams," Erickson said. "He'll help with the nickel defense and be a defensive adviser."
Tomey and Erickson have known each other since Tomey was coaching at Hawaii and Erickson at Wyoming. Their paths also crossed several times when they were at Arizona and Miami. Tomey also knows 49ers general manager Terry Donahue when both were at UCLA, and Tomey counts 49ers former coach and current consultant Bill Walsh as a close friend.
Tomey's UH teams were known for rugged defense. He compiled a 63-46-3 record from 1977 to 1986 at Manoa, and coached the Rainbows' only first-team All-American, defensive lineman Al Noga.
Tomey left Hawaii for Arizona. The Wildcats went 95-64-4 in his 14 seasons at Tucson, but never made it to the Rose Bowl.
After resigning from Arizona after the 2000 season, Tomey returned to Hawaii and became the color analyst for KFVE-TV telecasts of Warrior football games. But he never lost the itch to coach.
"I'm like a kid in a candy store. I am so fired up, and it happened so fast. I just found out for sure yesterday," said Tomey, who plans to continue living in Hawaii in the offseason. "I'm going to work Monday."
National Football League
