Aug. 15, 2007
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - William A. "Bill" Tomaras, known as the "Father of Wrestling" in the state of Washington and director of men's athletics at Western Washington University for nine years, died last Sunday at the age of 85.
Tomaras was inducted into the Helms Foundation Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1973, the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. His name is on the award given out by the WSWCA for the promotion of wrestling in the state of Washington.
Tomaras organized the state's first state prep wrestling tournament in 1953 and served as the tournament director until 1959. He was saluted at the 50th state high school Mat Classic in February of 2003 at the Tacoma Dome.
Tomaras came to Western in 1961 as an assistant professor in the men's physical education department and wrestling coach. He was named chair of the department and men's athletic director in 1962, becoming an associate professor in 1963 and a full professor in 1969.
During his tenure at Western, Tomaras began the wrestling program in 1961, coaching for four years, and under his direction the rowing program got its start in 1969. He instituted the college's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1968, and joined that elite group in 1978.
Under his leadership, Western won the school's first outright Evergreen Conference football title in 23 years in 1971, and the Vikings had one of the finest men's basketball seasons in school history in 1971-72, finishing 26-4 and reaching the quarterfinals at the NAIA National Tournament.
Tomaras also served as president of the Evergreen Conference, overseeing the league's expansion from four to seven schools.
Born on Oct. 15, 1921 in Decatur, Ill., Tomaras served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 during World War II where fought on Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day invasion, then earned both his bachelor's degree in 1946 (political science) and master's degree in 1948 at University of Illinois. He was a four-year letter winner in wrestling at Illinois, placing third at the NCAA national tournament as a senior.
Tomaras taught and coached at Washington State University from 1948 to 1959 except for a one-year stay at University of Oregon to obtain his doctorate degree in education in 1957. His Cougar squads captured five Pacific Coast Conference championships and during one stretch won 23 straight dual matches. He served on the NCAA wrestling rules committee from 1959-61.
Tomaras came to Western after a two-year stay at Cal Berkeley. During his 17-year coaching career, he trained numerous outstanding coaches in Washington, Oregon and California.
After leaving Western in the summer of 1972, Tomaras spent two years as a professor at Cal State Northridge before returning to the northwest as director of the Everett Senior Center where he served for 10 years.
Tomaras, who spent his retirement years in Port Orchard, was married for 63 years to wife Dolly (Dorothy). They had three sons, William Jr., Gus and Randy.
A memorial service will be held on Wed., Aug. 22 (3 p.m.) at the Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor.
KITSAP SUN: Port Orchard resident Bill Tomaras, a longtime college coach, organized Washington's first state tournament.
by ANNETTE GRIFFUS, agriffus@kitsapsun.com, PORT ORCHARD
William A. "Bill" Tomaras, who coached wrestling at Washington State, California and Western Washington and was known as the Father of Washington Wrestling, died Sunday of Alzheimer's disease. The Port Orchard resident was 85.
"Alzheimer's is an ugly disease," said Tomaras' son Colin `Gus' Tomaras, who coached wrestling, taught science and history and was dean of students at South Kitsap High School. "It's not becoming of a man of his stature."
But Bill Tomaras won't be remembered as the man he was at the end of his life, when a relentless disease ravaged his mind.
He will be remembered for the legacy he left in wrestling.
Tomaras wrestled at the University of Illinois, where he finished third in the NCAA championships as a 121-pound senior. He also earned a doctorate in education at the University of Oregon.
His coaching resume included stops at what was then known as Washington State College from 1948-59; at California from 1951-'61, where he coached wrestling and judo; and at Western Washington, where he coached wrestling from 1961-65, was athletic director from 1962-72 and was an assistant football coach for a short time.
North Mason High wrestling coach Joe Reasons wrestled for Tomaras at Western.
"He was really tough, but you knew where you stood with him," Reasons said of his former coach. "The thing about Bill Tomaras was, he was always a person of integrity. He demanded respect just by being respectful. I think that was really cool."
A single comic incident in the early 1950s set apart a group of wrestlers in Bill's coaching tenure.
The WSU wrestling team was traveling in two vehicles from Pullman to Oregon for a tournament. The wrestlers in the lead vehicle pulled off onto a country road, draped themselves out the windows and laid down on the ground as if they'd just been in an accident.
Tomaras came upon the scene and panicked, thinking his wrestlers were seriously injured.
"Dad came up just after that and runs up all twitterpated," Gus Tomaras said. "He said, `What the hell's going on!' and they all started laughing." Bill Tomaras didn't think it was that funny.
"`You G--D----d rockheads!'," Gus Tomaras recalled his father saying. "He called them damn rockheads. That group went on to be probably some of the top coaches the states of Washington, Oregon and California had ever seen."
One of them was Vaughan Hitchcock, the U.S. Greco-Roman coach for the 1976 Olympics and an eight-time NCAA Division II champion at Cal Poly. Other prominent Tomaras pupils include Cash Stone, who coached at Mead High School in Spokane for 34 years; Alden Peppel, who competed in the 1956 Olympic Trials; and Ray Needham, who won the Pacific Coast intercollegiate championship at 157 pounds.
The fake accident also spawned the Rockhead Reunion 16 years ago, which is held every two years at Gus Tomaras' home in Port Orchard. Former wrestlers gather at the Tomaras' home for a chance to reminisce and visit with their former coach.
Tomaras was also an early advocate of high school wrestling. He put together the first state championships at Pullman's Bohler Gym in 1953. Eight teams and 60 wrestlers competed for medals and trophies, which were bought by WSU wrestlers. The tourney grew year after year until it became what it is today -- Mat Classic.
In 1972 Tomaras was honored as the `Father of Washington State High School Wrestling' during his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tomaras was also inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984.
He stayed close to the sport in his older years. In the late 1980s, early 1990s, former South Kitsap wrestling coach Ernie Hahn talked Tomaras out of retirement to help out at the junior high level at Cedar Heights.
"He had a ball," Gus Tomaras said. "He absolutely loved it. That was the first time that he coached at the secondary school."
Gus Tomaras said some of his fondest memories were of hanging out with his dad in the wrestling room at Washington State.
"Being in a wrestling room as a kid -- it gets ingrained in your soul," Gus Tomaras said.
Tomaras, a World War II veteran, is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Dolly; two sons, Gus and his wife Shannon, and Randall Tomaras of Sequim; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and a sister, Anne Philips. Another son, Bill Jr., preceded him in death.
A memorial is scheduled for 3 p.m. next Wednesday at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor.
Bill Tomaras Memorial
Where: At Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, 7700 Skansie Ave., Gig Harbor
When: Service begins at 3 p.m., reception to follow
To view an online guestbook, go to www.rill.com.
Donations to the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Legacy Fund can be made by contacting the WIAA at (425) 687-8585, or mail to WIAA, 435 Main Ave., South, Renton, Wash., 98057.
