HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i head football coach Greg McMackin added another veteran coach to his staff with the hiring of former Idaho and Nevada head coach Chris Tormey as the Warriors' special teams coach. Tormey, who has 28 years of collegiate coaching experience, will also assist with the defensive secondary.
“I've known Chris for many years and he's always been a first class person and excellent football coach,” McMackin said. “Even when he was the head coach at Nevada and Idaho, he worked with the special teams. He's also one of the best recruiters in the country and his area included the state of Hawai'i. His work ethic is second to none and I know he will be a great addition to our staff and I'm really excited about him.”
Earlier in the week, Gordon "Gordy" Shaw was hired as the new offensive line coach. Shaw has more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 14 at the University of Minnesota.
Tormey, who has nine years of head coaching experience at Western Athletic Conference schools Idaho and Nevada, was most recently the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for Washington, a position he held since 2004.
Prior to that, he coached at Nevada from 2000-03, where he compiled a 16-31 record. Each year, his teams improved its win total, culminating in a 6-6 mark during his final season. That year, Tormey led the Wolf Pack to a 28-17 victory over Washington in Seattle.
From 1995-99, Tormey was the head coach at Idaho, coaching the Division I-AA Vandals to four winning seasons in five years. He compiled a 33-23 record and led Idaho to its first bowl appearance, a Humanitarian Bowl victory over Southern Mississippi in 1998. That year, he was named the Big West Conference's Coach of the Year and led the Vandals to a 9-3 record which included an overtime win over rival Boise State.
Tormey served as an assistant coach at Washington from 1984-94, where he coached the tight ends, outside linebackers, and the secondary and also served as defensive coordinator from 1993-94. During his tenure as an assistant, the Huskies appeared in 10 bowl games and won the 1991 national championship.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Tormey grew up in Spokane where he attended Gonzaga Prep. He was later an all-Big-Sky Conference linebacker at Idaho from 1976-77 during his three seasons. As a senior, he served as team captain before earning a degree in education 1978. Following his graduation, he signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins.
Tormey began his college coaching career in 1980 as a graduate assistant at Washington for two years, and then took the defensive line coaching position at Idaho in 1982 for two years under head coach Dennis Erickson.
Tormey and his wife, Kellie, have two daughters, Leah and Emily.
The Tormey File
Alma Mater: Idaho, 1978
Hometown: Spokane, Wash.
Year School Position
1978-79 Gonzaga Prep Assistant Coach
1980-81 Washington Graduate Assistant
1982-83 Idaho Assistant Coach
1984-92 Washington Assistant Coach
1993-94 Washington Defensive Coordinator
1995-99 Idaho Head Coach
2000-03 Nevada Head Coach
2004-08 Washington Assistant Coach
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