Retiring Nolen leaves a legacy at Lamar
73-year-old goes out as winningest coach in the Houston area
A staple in Houston-area high school football and the personification of consistency and excellence, longtime Lamar football coach Tom Nolen announced his retirement Monday afternoon.
Nolen, 73, leaves as the Houston area’s winningest coach, with 364 victories across his seven seasons at Strake Jesuit during its Texas Christian Interscholastic League days and 33 years at Lamar.
Mike Lindsey, in his second stint with Lamar, will transition from linebackers coach to head coach to replace Nolen. The former Auburn player had stints at Friendswood from 2006-2011 and at Beauregard High School in Opelika, Ala., where he won a state title as a defensive coordinator in 2016.
Nolen’s 364 wins ranked third among active coaches in Texas behind Corpus Christi Calallen’s Phil Danaher (445) and Highland Park’s Randy Allen (376). Nolen’s 307 UIL wins rank 11th all-time.
Joe Tusa was Houston ISD’s athletic director in 1985 when he hired Nolen, who had four TCIL state championships in tow from 1975-1981 at Strake Jesuit.
Three decades later, it’s difficult to tell the story of HISD football without Nolen.
“Surely,” Tusa said. “He’s the most successful and has been in it longer than anyone. Like I say, he’s been in contention every year.”
Only five coaches have more than his 20 UIL district titles. Lamar had three playoff appearances in 26 seasons before Nolen. The Texans made the postseason 31 times under his guidance, which ranks third in UIL history.
The lone Class 5A Division I state finalist banner in 2012 via a 15-1 campaign is the high-water mark. Lindsey was on staff for that season, the first time an HISD team played for it all since 1992.
At Lamar, Nolen coached bundles of memorable players, from Rod Babers and Brian Orakpo to Darrel Colbert Jr. and Anthony Cook.
Jon Kay was in his first season as a North Shore assistant in 1996 when he faced a Nolencoached team at Rice Stadium. Kay saw Nolen’s last game as North Shore’s head coach last season in the Class 6A Division I regional semifinals at Rice Stadium.
Kay says Nolen may not realize how many people he influenced. Nolen’s career is earmarked by his old-school, nononsense approach, which stands out as a gem in an era characterized by flash as much as substance.
“When you speak to him, you know that’s going to be the case, and I thought his kids played with the same kind of personality,” Kay said. “All business, get to the point. Put the product out on the field and get to work.”
Grand Oaks coach Mike Jackson faced Nolen many times during his mid-2000s tenures at Milby and Chavez. Jackson considers Nolen a close mentor. Even 10-plus years into the profession at Chavez, Jackson wanted to emulate the best in HISD, which was Nolen.
“He’s a very, very special man to me,” Jackson said. “Not only do I admire what he did on the field, I admire the way that he did it and the way that he went about his business. I think a lot of young coaches would do well to emulate the way that he did things.”
Nolen’s reach goes beyond the field. He was part of the grassroots efforts in founding the Greater Houston Football Coaches Association, with which Nolen was president in 1990 and is still heavily involved. Kay served as president of the GHFCA last year and worked closely with treasurer Nolen. The GHFCA has become a safe haven for professionally developing coaches in the Houston area and is one of the largest groups of its kind in the country.
Nolen’s career inspires and stands out even more considering the mobility of today’s coaches. Just 10 UIL coaches ever stayed at one stop longer than Nolen. There were 30 coaching changes in the Houston area alone this offseason before Nolen’s retirement.
“He’s well-respected throughout the state,” former Converse Judson coach D.W. Rutledge said. “Just a coach that coaches for the right reasons. He’s in it for the kids. He’s mentored those kids. He’s put out a lot of young men that I’m sure are leaders in our society.
“He’s to be commended for his career. There’s no doubt about it.”