This story is part of Georgetown Faces, a storytelling series that celebrates the beloved figures, unsung heroes and dedicated Hoyas who make our campus special.
Tommy Hunter has coached men’s golf at Georgetown for over 40 years.
He had never played competitive golf before coaching the Hoyas on the green. But the Bethesda, Maryland, native was no stranger to athletic competition.
Hunter was a three-sport athlete at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, grinding it out on the football field, basketball court and baseball diamond. His batting skills punched his ticket to Fordham University, where he got his first taste of a career in athletics administration. Hunter ran Fordham’s intramural sports program as a part-time job. He found he liked it.
After graduating, Hunter earned his master’s degree in athletic administration at Temple University. He returned to Fordham as the assistant director of the Vincent T. Lombardi Memorial Center, then a newly built university recreation facility that was pioneering new strategies to become self-sufficient and generate revenue, like running summer camps and renting lockers and towels.
But Hunter was ready to return home to the DC area, and, in 1979, became the director of intramural sports and special programs at the Yates Field House on the Hilltop. He brought many of the novel strategies he learned at Fordham to Georgetown.
“I love this area. I was away for four years for undergrad, one year of graduate school and nine months at Fordham [after grad school], and I said, What the heck? Let me take a good shot at it, so I came down here,” he said.
At Georgetown, Hunter developed a friendship with the golf coach and helped the team at practice. In 1984, he took full reins of the men’s golf program and never looked back. At the time, the golf team only competed at a local level, never travelling more than 100 miles to compete against other programs. Hunter elevated the program to compete on a national level.
Over his 41 years as the head coach, the golf team has won four Big East Conference Championships, most recently in 2018. The program also reached its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1997 and has participated in the national tournament five times during Hunter’s tenure.
Outside of his coaching responsibilities, Hunter also serves as the director of special projects, connecting with alumni and raising funds for Georgetown athletics. But the biggest responsibility he has is shepherding the young men who play for him, he said.
“Anytime we are on the road or in the plane, I’ve got precious cargo with me,” he said. “I’ve got young people who are aspiring to change this world, so I want to make sure that they’re doing the right thing, upholding the tradition of Georgetown and advancing their lives.”
Get to know the four-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year, his coaching philosophy and the greatest coach he’s had.
How I got into golf: Golf was always my second sport, to be honest. Baseball was my number one sport. It helped me get to the collegiate level. Golf was always something that I could relax with because I was so focused on being the best baseball player I could be. I didn’t have to stress about it because I wasn’t worried about being good at it. I just went out and played with my guys and had fun. I fell in love with it because it’s such a hard game.
My first full-time job in athletics: I was at Fordham for nine months and learning every niche and cranny and corner of how to run a building like the Vincent T. Lombardi Memorial Center. I worked long hours, the shift from 1 to 10 at night, doing all sorts of things.
How I got to Georgetown: Where I got a step of luck is that Georgetown always does a great job of taking care of its people from the inside. Here I am, this new guy coming around the block, and they just took a leap of faith to bring in the dark horse that has this experience and see what he can do.
My mentor’s mantra that stuck with me: We may not be millionaires in education, but we are lucky to be able to start brand new every year. You get refreshed, go on vacation, recharge your batteries and come back late August to get a new crop of freshmen on campus. You say goodbye to a crop of seniors and get to forget about last year and start a new year. That’s been my go-to thought every year.
Why I love working in athletics: There’s nothing better. The unity of a team, the culture of working hard together to be the best you can to win. Not win at all costs, but win the right way.
My coaching philosophy: Listen, listen, listen to the athletes. I like to always think I’m a player’s coach. I’ve always said out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom. I treasure the Monday afternoon captains’ meetings that I have with the guys as we work through our fall and spring seasons. They’re on ground zero with their teammates, and I can’t be there 24/7 with them. Gathering that information about the culture of our program and how it moves along is important to me. For me to sit there and think I could dominate that culture is like making a triple bogey.
My most memorable moment as the golf coach: We were very good in 1997. We were on a conference call with the NCAA golf committee and heard Georgetown’s name announced to go to the East Regional at the Homestead Resort in White Sulfur Springs, Virginia. That was a step that announced Georgetown had finally made it. That was a sign that Georgetown could play and was a springboard to get us to where we are now. Our resume, we’re so proud of it. We’ve won four Big East golf championships and have been to the NCAA regionals five times. Quite honestly, that’s like touching heaven for a mid-major [conference].
Why I’ve stuck with Georgetown for 46 years: I throw it right back. Why not? It’s such a great place. I get chills on my back every time I drive into campus and see the spire of Healy Hall. That in and of itself explains a lot of why I do what I do. The culture at Georgetown is so vibrant. I love the push in a positive way of how the Jesuits educate. The environment at Georgetown is so electric. Kids don’t just run into their dorms and play video games after class. They’re volunteering. They’re working. They’re playing their sport. They’re an industrious people.
When I work on my golf stroke: Over the summer, that’s when I focus on my game and try to get better. I don’t play during the year. I am not going to be playing golf while the guys are grinding as hard as they can to get in the lineup. Again, it’s a game that I relax with and have fun with.
The greatest coach I’ve had: My dad. I got lucky in my senior year at Gonzaga, he took over as the head football coach and head basketball coach. To see how he coached and what he did and how he did it, you’d run through a brick wall for him, so I try to emulate that.
What my dad would tell me today: He’d say keep on going because he’d see the fire in my eye. My gut will tell me when it’s time to walk on my last fairway. I’m a boots-on-the-ground type of coach. I don’t drive around in a cart. I want to feel what they’re feeling. I want to see what they’re seeing. That’s how we roll.