Thomas Cleveland West (born July 31, 1954) is an American football coach and former player. He was the defensive line coach at Middle Tennessee State University from 2014 to 2023. West served as head football coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (1993), Clemson University (1993–1998) and the University of Memphis (2001–2009), compiling a career college football record of 84–96. West was fired as head coach at Memphis on November 9, 2009 after beginning the season 2–7.[1] West finished the season with Memphis.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 31, 1954 Carrollton, Georgia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1972–1975 | Tennessee |
| Position(s) | Tight end |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1979 | Ole Miss (RB) |
| 1980–1981 | Appalachian State (WR/TE) |
| 1982 | Clemson (WR) |
| 1983–1989 | Clemson (LB) |
| 1990 | Tennessee (RB) |
| 1991–1992 | South Carolina (DC/LB) |
| 1993 | Chattanooga |
| 1993–1998 | Clemson |
| 2000 | Memphis (DC/LB) |
| 2001–2009 | Memphis |
| 2011 | UAB (DC/LB) |
| 2012 | Southern Miss (DC/LB) |
| 2014–2023 | Middle Tennessee (DL) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 84–96 |
| Bowls | 3–6 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
West attended Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia, from which he graduated in 1972. There he was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was an All-American selection, and was also drafted in fifth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He is married to the former Cyndie Smith of Germantown, Tennessee, and has one son, Turner West, who is an assistant at Georgia Southern University.[2]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga Mocs (Southern Conference) (1993) | |||||||||
| 1993 | Chattanooga | 4–7 | 2–6 | 5th | |||||
| Chattanooga: | 4–7 | 2–6 | |||||||
| Clemson Tigers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1993–1998) | |||||||||
| 1993 | Clemson | 1–0[n 1] | [n 1] | [n 1] | W Peach | 23 | 22 | ||
| 1994 | Clemson | 5–6 | 4–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1995 | Clemson | 8–4 | 6–2 | 2nd | L Gator | ||||
| 1996 | Clemson | 7–5 | 6–2 | T–2nd | L Peach | ||||
| 1997 | Clemson | 7–5 | 4–4 | 5th | L Peach | ||||
| 1998 | Clemson | 3–8 | 1–7 | T–9th | |||||
| Clemson: | 31–28 | 21–19 | |||||||
| Memphis Tigers (Conference USA) (2001–2009) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Memphis | 5–6 | 3–4 | 7th | |||||
| 2002 | Memphis | 3–9 | 2–6 | 9th | |||||
| 2003 | Memphis | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd | W New Orleans | ||||
| 2004 | Memphis | 8–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd | L GMAC | ||||
| 2005 | Memphis | 7–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd (East) | W Motor City | ||||
| 2006 | Memphis | 2–10 | 1–7 | 6th (East) | |||||
| 2007 | Memphis | 7–6 | 6–2 | T–2nd (East) | L New Orleans | ||||
| 2008 | Memphis | 6–7 | 4–4 | T–2nd (East) | L St. Petersburg | ||||
| 2009 | Memphis | 2–10 | 1–7 | 6th (East) | |||||
| Memphis: | 49–61 | 32–39 | |||||||
| Total: | 84–96 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Ken Hatfield resigned after the regular season. West coached Clemson in the Peach Bowl. Clemson credits the 1993 regular season to Hatfield and the Peach Bowl to West.
References
edit- ^ Tommy West fired as Memphis Tigers football coach, The Commercial Appeal, November 9, 2009
- ^ "Turner West - Football Coach". Georgia Southern University Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2024.