Tom Maher, who directed the Pasadena City College football team for nine seasons from 1996-2004, is returning as head coach of the Lancers. Maher succeeds Thom Kaumeyer, who served on an interim basis for the 2015 season.
Maher, in his 21st year as a full-time kinesiology instructor at PCC, had his transfer assignment to head coach approved by the PACCD Board of Trustees at their Wednesday meeting.
In 2001, Maher coached the last Lancers conference championship team when PCC won the Mission Conference crown, finished 10-1, and captured the South County Bowl title. In 2002, his PCC team was 8-3 and participated in the Potato Bowl.
Three of his players have been inducted into the PCC Sports Hall of Fame in single-season rushing and touchdowns leader Jonathan Smith (2001), quarterback Nathan Chandler (2000-01), who set a then PCC record for passing yards (since broken) at 2,633, and two-time, 1,000-plus yard rusher Jerome Harrison (2002-03), who went on to a 5-year career in the NFL. Smith and Chandler were the only JC Grid-Wire First Team All-American backfield in that publication's history.
Maher has 40 career victories at PCC and his first three years as head coach was during a hardship period for the program when the team had to play games off-campus at Occidental College and practice at a local middle school field while construction was done to create Robinson Stadium. In 1999, the team returned to the campus and Maher's program took off as he had his most successful coaching period from 2000-2002 at 23-9.
Maher coached the highest scoring team in PCC history in '01 when the Lancers averaged 42.3 points a game. His '02 squad is the third highest scoring team at 38.3 points per contest.
Maher is a Lancers playing alumnus as he was a tight end on the 1972 national champion team that finished 12-1 under head coach Bill Sandstrom. That team won a Metropolitan Conference title.
Known also for moving players to the next level, Maher helped 191 Lancers earn scholarships to 4-year universities, including a single-season high of 30 in both the 2002 and 2004 seasons.
"I'm extremely grateful for getting another opportunity to coach at PCC," Maher said. "First thing on my list of things to do is to assemble a quality assistant coaching staff and recruit for the '16 season. With hard work, I know we can bring this program back to the level of success we achieved in the early 2000s. Our college community and alumni can get excited again about Lancers football."
Maher's second tour of duty as Lancers head coach begins Sept. 3 at Long Beach City College. PCC's Robinson Stadium opener will be Sept. 10 against San Bernardino Valley.