University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Thomas E. Tierney 1958 - Baseball, Football
Named the nation's top high school basketball coach in 1986, Tom Tierney, a 1991 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was a two-sport standout at Vermont in football and baseball.
At UVM, he captained the 1958 Catamounts and was a third baseman/outfielder, leading his team in hitting with a .350 average. He also topped UVM in RBI his last two seasons. In football, Tierney was the team's leading rusher in 1956 and 1957 and was named All-Yankee Conference and All-State. He also earned All-ECAC weekly honors four times during his career.
Nicknamed "The General" by his teammates, Tierney was presented the Semans Trophy ("leadership, loyalty and service to the University") at the Senior Letterwinners banquet in the spring of 1958. After graduating from UVM, he served as a football graduate assistant for the Catamounts in 1958.
Tierney signed a baseball contract with the Milwaukee Braves and played four years professionally, finishing with the Atlanta Crackers in the early 60s. He was also drafted by the football Baltimore Colts.
His extraordinary winning percentage of .872 (717-105) as a high school baseball coach speaks clearly of his talents. The head baseball coach at Tottenville High School is Staten Island, N.Y., his Pirates are perennially one of the top teams in the New York City area - and the country. In 1991 Tottenville won the New York City Championship and in 1986, when he was selected National High School Baseball Coach of the Year by the National Coaches Association, his Pirates went 35-2. Not to be outdone, his 1987 squad finished 32-2 including a 29-game win streak. His Pirates were ranked #4 in the nation that season.
In addition to his success as a baseball coach, he started the football and track and field teams at Tottenville. His track team won the Staten Island Novice championship in 1966. Tierney also has coached boys bowling and tennis at Tottenville and both teams wom the Staten Island championship and his bowling team was a New York City finalist.
