 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 23, 1945 Stratford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1964–1967 | Connecticut |
| Position(s) | Point guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1968–1969 | Bullard-Havens Technical HS (CT) |
| 1969–1971 | Bridgeport Central HS (CT) |
| 1971–1974 | Tufts |
| 1974–1978 | Columbia |
| 1978–1986 | Fordham |
| 1986–1988 | Rhode Island |
| 1988–1998 | Texas |
| 1998–2001 | George Washington |
| 2004–2010 | Houston |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 649–437 |
| Tournaments | 12–11 (NCAA Division I) 1–8 (NIT) 2–2 (CBI) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| MAAC tournament (1983) 3 SWC regular season (1992, 1994, 1995) 2 SWC tournament (1994, 1995) A-10 regular season (1999) C-USA tournament (2010) | |
| Awards | |
| A-10 Coach of the Year (1987) 2x SWC Coach of the Year (1994, 1995) | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2021 | |
Thomas Vincent Penders (born May 23, 1945) is an American retired college basketball coach, who last coached from 2004 through 2010 at the University of Houston. He is from Stratford, Connecticut[1] and has a 649–437 career record. As a college athlete, Penders played both basketball and baseball for the University of Connecticut, and is one of the few players to have competed in both the NCAA tournament as well as the College World Series.[2]
Prior to his last job as Houston's head coach, Penders was a sports analyst for ESPN and Westwood One Radio.[3] He also has been the head coach for Tufts, Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, and George Washington. Coach Penders developed a reputation as both “Turnaround Tom” and “Tournament Tom” because he proved that he could turn basketball programs into consistent winners and get the most out of his players in March. He is one of three coaches to reach three “Sweet 16s” as a double-digit seed in the NCAA basketball tournament, becoming the first NCAA head basketball coach to accomplish that feat with his 1996–97 Texas Longhorns team.
- ^ "Stratford, Connecticut - Proc-090610-Tom Penders (Sterling House)". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ^ "Player Bio: Tom Penders - University of Houston Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on 2011-06-10.
- ^ "Houston coach Penders resigns after NCAA run". 22 March 2010.