Dr. Jack M. Toms
Director of Athletics
Dr. Jack M. Toms begins his 23rd year as theathletic director of Lynchburg College in 2012-13. One of the mostdecorated athletic coaches in the country, Toms retired fromcoaching in the spring of 2010 only to continue leading the highlysuccessful Hornet athletic department. Named athletic director onJuly 1, 1989, Toms has helped improve LC athletics dramaticallywith numerous teams and individual student-athletes achievingnational recognition with enhanced success across the board.
Since he assumed leadership as athletic director in the summerof 1989, Lynchburg College has won over 100 Old Dominion AthleticConference (ODAC) championships, an unrivaled mark. Hornet teamshave earned over 40 trips to the NCAA Tournament over the same timeperiod. In 2010, the LC men’s soccer team played in the NCAADivision III championship game a year after the women’ssoccer team powered its way to the national semi-finals. Hornetsoftball played in the Division III World Series in 2008 whileRicky Flynn was crowned the national champion in cross countryafter a record-breaking 2009 campaign.
Toms has also overseen expansion in all areas of the athleticdepartment including a growth in staff, coaches, budgets, athletictraining services, and facilities. Shellenberger Field was revampedin 2006 which added new features such as a large, artificial turffield, a new state-of-the-art eight-lane track, and increasedspectator capacity of 3,000. Upgrades also took place at Fox andMoon Fields, along with refurbished practice fields. 
Several coaches have taken home honors in recent years such asChris Yeager who was named the 2010 Division III National SoccerCoach of the Year. Many of the coaching staff serves on NCAAcommittees both nationally and regionally while remaining active incommunity service.
Helping direct LC as a perennial ODAC Commissioner's Cup winner,an award which is given to the top overall athletic program in theconference, Lynchburg has won the men’s title the last fouryears and has won the overall title in 2001 and in 2002. He hasserved as vice president and as President of the Old DominionAthletic Conference, and holds level I, II and III certification inleadership from the National Association of College Directors ofAthletics.
Toms is the most successful coach in the history of LCathletics, with 67 conference and 26 NCAA Regional Coach of theYear awards, and transformed the LC runners into anationally-competitive program. He was recognized in 1995 as theCommonwealth of Virginia's top track and field coach with the WaltCormack Award from the Virginia Military Institute for success atthe college level. Dr. Toms was inducted into the Lynchburg CollegeSports Hall of Fame in 1988. He will be enshrined in the U.S. Track& Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hallof Fame in December of 2010.
Having coached the track and field teams for 31 years, Tomsnever had a year in which he did not qualify an individual or teamfor the NCAA national meet. He produced 88 All-Americans and 12National Champions. His men's track & field teams swept theconference indoor and outdoor competitions in 2004, 2005, 2006,2007, 2009, and 2010 - with squads winning by large margins. He had27 indoor and outdoor track sweeps and his teams under won 38 ofthe last 41 league titles, and he has mentored the Regional andNCAA MVP. He coached 11 NCAA South/Southeast Regional Athletes ofthe Year in track and five in cross country and has served as theregional representative for many years. Dr. Toms mentored threeNational Athletes of the Year as well as the national champion incross country in 2009.
In addition, Dr. Toms served as head women's cross country/trackand field head coach for nine years. His women's indoor and outdoorteams won 12 out of 18 ODAC titles with nine All-Americans alongthe way and two South/Southeast Regional MVP.
Coach Toms won 13 ODAC Cross Country Championships and four NCAARegional Championships during his tenure. He had four NCAA RegionalMVPs and one NCAA Champion in the sport. The College's outdoortrack and field complex has been named after Dr. Toms for thenational attention he has brought to the school.
He was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and CrossCountry Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame on December15, 2010.
A 1969 graduate of Lynchburg College, he was team's MVP twice inhis collegiate days and was the captain for three years. He hasachieved the rank of full professor in the school of health scienceand human performance. Toms earned his master's degree from theUniversity of Virginia and his doctorate from West VirginiaUniversity. He and his wife, Theresa, have two sons, Nathan andDavid.
Read the complete story of the induction of Dr. Toms into theUSTFCCCA Hall of Fame here.
