Tommy West
Tommy West went 84–96 as a head coach, 1993–2009, at Clemson, Chattanooga and Memphis. Share
One season our game records don’t credit to him comes from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1993 at Chattanooga. It’s marked in the table.
- Record
- 84–96 career
- Seasons
- 15
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Best season
- 1993 9–3, No. 23
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Clemson bowl game | 1–0 | Peach Bowl W | 23 | ||
| 1993 | Chattanooga * | 4–7 | 5th | |||
| 1994 | Clemson | 5–6 | 6th | |||
| 1995 | Clemson | 8–4 | 2nd | Gator Bowl L | ||
| 1996 | Clemson | 7–5 | T–2nd | Peach Bowl L | ||
| 1997 | Clemson | 7–5 | 5th | Peach Bowl L | ||
| 1998 | Clemson | 3–8 | T–9th | |||
| 1999–00: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2001 | Memphis | 5–6 | 7th | |||
| 2002 | Memphis | 3–9 | 9th | |||
| 2003 | Memphis | 9–4 | T–3rd | New Orleans Bowl W | ||
| 2004 | Memphis | 8–4 | T–2nd | GMAC Bowl L | ||
| 2005 | Memphis | 7–5 | T–2nd (East) | Motor City Bowl W | ||
| 2006 | Memphis | 2–10 | 6th (East) | |||
| 2007 | Memphis | 7–6 | T–2nd (East) | New Orleans Bowl L | ||
| 2008 | Memphis | 6–7 | T–2nd (East) | St. Petersburg Bowl L | ||
| 2009 | Memphis | 2–10 | 6th (East) | |||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Anthony SimmonsConsensus All‑American, 1997- Stacy SeegarsConsensus All‑American, 1993
- Antuan EdwardsNo. 25 pick, 1999
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 21 | 3–18 | 14% |
| Against top-10 teams | 9 | 0–9 | 0% |
| Against rivals | 64 | 23–41 | 36% |
| Conference games | 111 | 53–58 | 48% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 9 | 3–6 | 33% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 63 | 24–39 | 38% |
| At home | 88 | 49–39 | 56% |
| On the road | 72 | 28–44 | 39% |
| At neutral sites | 9 | 3–6 | 33% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 92 | 60–32 | 65% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 77 | 20–57 | 26% |
His own 169 games on file, 1993–2009, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George O’Leary 1994–2009 | 3–7 | Georgia Tech, UCF | 10 | |
| Jeff Bower 2001–2007 | 4–3 | Southern Miss | 7 | |
| Watson Brown 2001–2006 | 0–6 | UAB | 6 | |
| Jim Caldwell 1994–1998 | 4–1 | Wake Forest | 5 | |
| Brad Scott 1994–1998 | 3–2 | South Carolina | 5 | |
| Fred Goldsmith 1994–1998 | 3–2 | Duke | 5 | |
| Mike O’Cain 1994–1998 | 3–2 | NC State | 5 | |
| Steve Roberts 2003–2008 | 3–2 | Arkansas State | 5 | |
| Jim Leavitt 2001–2008 | 2–3 | South Florida | 5 | |
| Mark Snyder 2005–2009 | 2–3 | Marshall | 5 |
Tommy West’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Missseries | 9 | 5–4 |
| UABseries | 9 | 2–7 |
| East Carolinaseries | 8 | 3–5 |
| Ole Missseries | 8 | 2–6 |
| Houstonseries | 7 | 4–3 |
| Marylandseries | 5 | 5–0 |
| Tulaneseries | 5 | 5–0 |
| Wake Forestseries | 5 | 4–1 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Ole Miss | Running backs coach | |
| 1980–81 | Appalachian State | Wide receivers and tight ends coach | |
| 1982 | Clemson | Wide receivers coach | |
| 1983–89 | Clemson | Linebackers coach | |
| 1990 | Tennessee | Running backs coach | |
| 1991–92 | South Carolina | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 1993 | Chattanooga | Head coach | |
| 1993–98 | Clemson | Head coach | |
| 2000 | Memphis | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 2001–09 | Memphis | Head coach | |
| 2011 | UAB | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 2012 | Southern Miss | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 2014–23 | Middle Tennessee | Defensive line coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Steve SloanOle Miss
- Mike WorkingApp State
- Danny FordClemson
- Johnny MajorsTennessee
- Sparky WoodsSouth Carolina
- Rip SchererMemphis
- Neil CallawayUAB
- Ellis JohnsonSouthern Miss
- Rick StockstillMiddle Tennessee
Assistants who became head coaches
- Bobby JohnsonVanderbilt, Furman
- Frankie DeBuskTusculum
- Rick StockstillMiddle Tennessee
- Shane MontgomeryMiami (OH), Massachusetts
- Ellis JohnsonSouthern Miss, Gardner-Webb, The Citadel
- Reggie HerringArkansas
- Mac McWhorterGeorgia Tech, West Georgia
- Clay HeltonUSC, Georgia Southern
- Russ HuesmanChattanooga, Richmond
- Joe Lee DunnNew Mexico, Ole Miss
- Tyson HeltonWestern Kentucky
- Brent PryVirginia Tech
- and 1 more
Worked under (9)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Sloan | Ole Miss | 1979 | Running backs coach | |
| Mike Working | App State | 1980–81 | Wide receivers and tight ends coach | |
| Danny Ford | Clemson | 1982–89 | 1982: wide receivers coach; 1983–89: linebackers coach | |
| Johnny Majors | Tennessee | 1990 | Running backs coach | |
| Sparky Woods | South Carolina | 1991–92 | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Rip Scherer | Memphis | 2000 | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Neil Callaway | UAB | 2011 | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Ellis Johnson | Southern Miss | 2012 | Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Rick Stockstill | Middle Tennessee | 2014–23 | Defensive line coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (13)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Johnson | Clemson, 1993: defensive coordinator | Vanderbilt, Furman | |
| Frankie DeBusk | Chattanooga, 1993: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach | Tusculum | |
| Rick Stockstill | Clemson, 1993: passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 1994–95: co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach; 1996–98: wide receivers coach | Middle Tennessee | |
| Shane Montgomery | Chattanooga, 1993: quarterbacks coach | Miami (OH), Massachusetts | |
| Ellis Johnson | Clemson, 1994–96: outside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator | Southern Miss, Gardner-Webb, The Citadel | |
| Reggie Herring | Clemson, 1994–96: linebackers coach; 1997–98: defensive coordinator | Arkansas | |
| Mac McWhorter | Clemson, 1996–98: offensive tackles and tight ends coach | Georgia Tech, West Georgia | |
| Clay Helton | Memphis, 2001–02: running backs coach; 2003–06: wide receivers coach; 2007–09: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | USC, Georgia Southern | |
| Russ Huesman | Memphis, 2001–03: tight ends coach | Chattanooga, Richmond | |
| Joe Lee Dunn | Memphis, 2003–06: defensive coordinator | New Mexico, Ole Miss | |
| Tyson Helton | Memphis, 2004–06: special teams and tight ends coach | Western Kentucky | |
| Brent Pry | Memphis, 2007–09: defensive line coach | Virginia Tech | |
| Walt Bell | Memphis, 2007–08: graduate assistant | Massachusetts |
Other assistants under him (18)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Whitey Jordan | Clemson, 1993: offensive coordinator | |
| Clyde Christensen | Clemson, 1994–95: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Miles Aldridge | Clemson, 1994–95: defensive coordinator | |
| Charlie Harbison | Clemson, 1995–97: defensive backs coach | |
| Darrell Moody | Clemson, 1996: offensive coordinator | |
| Les Herrin | Clemson, 1997–98: defensive coordinator | |
| Steve Ensminger | Clemson, 1997–98: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Brick Haley | Clemson, 1998: outside linebackers coach | |
| Joe Cullen | Memphis, 2001: defensive line coach | |
| Randy Fichtner | Memphis, 2001–06: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Rick Whitt | Memphis, 2001–02: defensive coordinator | |
| Tim Banks | Memphis, 2001: outside linebackers coach; 2002: defensive backs coach | |
| Tim Walton | Memphis, 2001: defensive backs coach; 2008: defensive coordinator | |
| Chris Rumph | Memphis, 2003–05: outside linebackers coach | |
| Darin Hinshaw | Memphis, 2007–09: wide receivers coach and senior offensive assistant | |
| Derek Jones | Memphis, 2007: cornerbacks coach | |
| Rick Kravitz | Memphis, 2007: defensive coordinator | |
| Kenny Ingram | Memphis, 2009: defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
How he coached
West’s teams went for it on 18% of fourth downs and on 32% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 47% of plays and took 24.0 seconds a play, 2004–2009.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 4 g | 4 of 29 14% | 23% | 52% | 19.9 | +0.15 | |
| 2005 12 g | 13 of 101 13% | 26% | 29% | 25.4 | +0.01 | |
| 2006 12 g | 23 of 89 26% | 45% | 54% | 25.5 | −0.01 | |
| 2007 10 g | 16 of 84 19% | 30% | 59% | 22.0 | +0.06 | |
| 2008 13 g | 20 of 97 21% | 31% | 46% | 25.0 | +0.03 | |
| 2009 10 g | 12 of 82 15% | 29% | 50% | 22.9 | −0.06 | |
| All 61 g | 88 of 482 18% | 32% | 47% | 24.0 | +0.02 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.