Thomas E. Gadd

Football Coach

Although his tenure as head football coach at Bucknell was tragically cut short after only seven years, Tom Gadd will go down in history as one of the school’s most inspirational coaches in any sport. A longtime defensive assistant coach, Gadd accepted his first head coaching post at Bucknell prior to the 1995 season. At the time, Bucknell football had experienced just one winning season in its previous 14, but Gadd’s teams proceeded to rattle off a school-record seven straight winning campaigns. Among them were a Patriot League championship season in 1996 – the Bison’s first league title of any kind since 1965 – and a school-record 10-win season in 1997. From 1995-2001, Gadd’s teams won 48 games, tying the record for most victories by a Bucknell football coach while doing so in the shortest amount of time. His teams went 28-10 at home and 23-12 against non-league foes. Following the 2000 campaign Gadd was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent successful surgery and returned to coach the Bison to a 6-4 record in 2001. But the cancer soon resurfaced, and Gadd was unable to coach in 2002, instead handing over the reins to longtime friend and defensive coordinator Dave Kotulski. Gadd passed away on March 1, 2003. In addition to his on-field accomplishments, Gadd will be remembered for his tireless efforts in community and alumni relations. He was the sixth football coach to be inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame, joining Carl Snavely (1927-33), Edward Mylin (1934-36), Al Humphreys (1937-42, 1946), Harry Lawrence (1947-57) and Bob Odell (1958-64). (Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 2003)