Coach Tommy Hunter, a Living Legend
By Attiyya Atkins
Coach Tommy Hunter, 67, has been a coach at Ronald McNair Park for more than 40 years. He has trained thousands of Pompano Beach’s youth in football, track, and field. In fact, he’s one of the original coaches left from the first Collier City Cowboys team formed in 1981.
Hunter considers the kids he trains as family, checking on their grades and keeping them away from negative influences. And as McNair Park undergoes a multi-million-dollar upgrade, many community members and his former athletes want Hunter’s legacy to be immortalized at the park where he’s helped so many young people.
Eric Rawls, a former NFL player, is thankful for all that Hunter has done for him.
“He followed me from youth league to high school, from high school to college, and from college to the professional league,” Rawls wrote in a letter. “When I was playing college football, he was someone that would call and ask about my grades and made sure that I understood football wouldn’t last forever. So, when I learned about the new construction of McNair Park, I couldn’t think of someone more deserving to name the park after other than Coach Tommy.”
There’s been a quiet storm brewing to rename the park from Ronald McNair, an astronaut with no Pompano Beach affiliation, to Tommy Hunter Park. Hunter says he’s flattered, but it’s not about him.
“It’s not just about the kids when they here with me playing football,” he said. “It’s about where are they five years down the road…Some of the kids I coached, I coach their kids. I don’t do it for me, I do it for the kids. I’m not one that’s here today and gone tomorrow.”
Wade Edmond, former Blanche Ely high school principal, agrees.
“For over 40 years, Mr. Hunter has shown a high level of dedication and commitment as he has tutored, mentored, and shaped the youth of the Pompano Beach northwest community. Hundreds of kids have benefited from participating in his youth programs especially in the Collier City community. During my tenure as principal of Blanche Ely High School, I am personally aware of many young men who played on our football team who had been coached by Coach Tommy,” Edmond wrote. “Our community has benefited greatly from his devotion and the contributions that he has given and made. On that note, it is well befitting that Coach Tommy Hunter be highly considered for having his name enshrined at the new football facility in Collier City. I highly recommend and support him for this well deserving honor.”
Hunter has coached Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens NFL team, Harlem Howard, a standout safety at Blanche Ely on his way to Oregon State University, Xavier Lucas, a cornerback at Dillard High School who received nearly 30 offers from colleges to play football, and many more.
“Ninety percent of the kids I coach go to college,” Hunter said. “It’s not just about sports, it’s about getting an education.”
Former city commissioner Cyndy Floyd says changing the name of the park isn’t a bad idea. “I know him and he’s done some good in the community,” she said.
Hunter says he has a wall with pictures of the kids that are in college, if the kid drops out, they come off the wall. It’s a family, Hunter says. He even has a banner of former players and coaches that have passed away. It says “Gone, but never forgotten.” Hunter says he’s got to add a few more names including Dayvon Johnson, a 35-year-old that was killed in a drive-by shooting at a corner store in Collier City in February.
Hunter’s coaching style has allowed him to touch the hearts and minds of thousands of Pompano Beach children. But Hunter doesn’t only inspire the kids, he inspires coaches too.
Van Warren considers Hunter a mentor. He played football with the Pompano Cowboys and when he entered adulthood knew that he wanted to give his back to his community, similar to how Hunter did. “Time is more precious than money,” Warren said. “And I felt I owed my community that time.”
Warren has been coaching the Cowboys for over 30 years.
“The key is watching the youth grow,” Warren said. “The greatest reward is when they come back and say thank you.”
If you would like to see McNair Park renamed, email Barry Moss City of Pompano Beach District 5 commissioner at Barry.Moss@copbfl.com.
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