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Tom Merrill Honored with 2010 Tony Gasparovich Award

At the 2010 Scholar-Athlete Awards, Tom Merrill, Former Coach Kennedy High School, was honored with the Tony Gasparovich Memorial Award.

Coach Tom Merrill is a graduate of Auburn High School and of Central Washington College. Tom started his life long football coaching career in 1962 at Wishtah High School. After two years, he returned to Central to coach for one season. Afterward, Tom’s long journey of coaching high school football started when he joined the coaching staff at Blanchet High School. As the defensive coordinator, his “monster” defense was a major reason for the success of the Blanchet program. Then, in 1972 Tom became the head football coach at Kennedy High School where he coached and taught for 23 years.

Throughout his career, Tom’s trademark included the combination of a strong defense with his Wing-T attack. Over a span of the past 48 years, Coach Merrill has coached at numerous schools. Most recently, he has helped his son Mike at Lincoln High School in Tacoma. Although Tom talks of retirement, those close to him know that his passion for the game hasn’t changed.

Tom and his wife, Loretta, have raised six children. Several are in attendance today. The Seattle Chapter of the National Football Foundation is proud to present the Tony Gasparovich Award to Tom Merrill, Hall of Fame coach, for his service, leadership, and dedication to the game of football.