With more than 40 years of coaching experience, Tommy Lee joins the Warrior coaching staff as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Lee’s previous experience includes stints at the high school, collegiate and professional levels.
Most recently, Lee was head coach at Montana Western, where he coached from 2001-07 and compiled a 33-43 record. The team was co-champions of the Frontier Conference in 2002 and ’04, including an NAIA playoff appearance in 2002. During his final season as head coach, the Bulldogs finished the 2007 season leading the conference in total offense (372.5 yards per game) and passing (255.9 ypg).
Previously, Lee coached at Utah from 1995-2000, where he was quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He gained the title of offensive coordinator in 1998 and the Utes led the Western Athletic Conference in total offense (415.3 ypg) and were second in scoring (30.8 ppg). That season, the Utes also finished 18th nationally in rushing offense (206.0 ypg), the first time since 1984 that a Utah team averaged 200 yards per game. In 1999, the Utes led the Mountain West Conference and finished 16th nationally in scoring offense at 33.0 points per game.
Prior to his six-year stint with Utah, Lee spent four seasons in professional football, two years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Toronto of the Canadian Football League (1993-94) and two years at San Antonio of the World League of American Football (1991-92). In 1992, San Antonio shared the best record (7-2) in the league.
From 1986-90, Lee was the offensive coordinator at Division I-AA Montana, where the Grizzlies complied a 38-20 record during his stay. The Griz made the playoffs twice, including a semifinal appearance in 1989, the same year the team posted the best mark in school history at 11-3. His offense ranked in the nation’s Top 10 for four years.
Lee coached two seasons at Portland State from 1984-85. At PSU, Lee coached Terry Summerfield, an all-conference quarterback who led the Vikings to a Western Conference championship in 1984.
Lee’s move to the NCAA ranks came after a decade of coaching (1972-82) at Willamette College, an NAIA school in Oregon. He was an assistant at the school for two years before assuming the head coaching job in 1974 until ’83.
Lee starred a quarterback for St. Louis School in Honolulu, before an All-America career at Willamette from 1959-62. He later played one year with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the CFL. He was inducted into the NAIA District II Hall of Fame as the Outstanding Back in 1985 and Willamette Hall of Fame in 1995.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Central Catholic High School in Portland, Ore., from 1964-68 before returning to coach at his alma mater St. Louis School from 1968-71.
Lee and his wife, Haunani, have three adult children, Pohai, Momi, and Ipo and have four grandchildren.
The Lee File
Hometown: Honolulu, O‘ahu
Family: Wife, Nani, Children, Leimomi (Hall), Tom Pohai, Thor Hooipo
Education
Willamette 1963, Bachelor’s in Physical Education
Willamette 1972, Master’s in Education
Playing Experience
1963, Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL), Quarterback
1959-62, Willamette, Quarterback
Coaching Experience
2012: Hawai‘i, Quarterbacks & Running Backs
2001-07: Montana Western, Head Coach
1998-2000: Utah, Offensive Coordinator
1995-97: Utah, Quarterbacks
1993-94: Toronto (CFL), Offensive Coordinator
1991-92: San Antonio (WFL), Offensive Coordinator
1986-90: Montana, Offensive Coordinator
1984-85: Portland State, Offensive Coordinator
1974-83: Willamette, Head Coach
1972-73: Willamette, Offensive Coordinator
1968-71: St. Louis High School, Head Coach & Assistant Coach
1964-67: Central Catholic High School, Head Coach & Assistant Coach
