Tom Lester (American football)

Tom Lester

Biographical details
Born	(1927-01-23)January 23, 1927 Drumright, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	September 2, 2012(2012-09-02) (aged 85) Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1948–1951	Pittsburg State
Position(s)	End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1952–1954	Caldwell HS (KS)
1955–1960	Atchison HS (KS)
1961–1966	Pittsburg State (freshman)
1967–1975	Pittsburg State
Basketball
1952–1954	Caldwell HS (KS)
Head coaching record
Overall	48–38–5 (college football) 51–21–3 (high school football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football RMAC (1970)
Awards
Football All-CIC (1951)

Thomas Arthur Lester (January 23, 1927 – September 2, 2012) was an American college football coach.^[1][2] He was the eighth head football coach at Kansas State College of Pittsburg—now known as Pittsburg State University—in Pittsburg, Kansas, serving for nine seasons, from 1967 to 1975,^[3][4] and compiling a record of 48–38–5.^[5] Prior to becoming head coach, he served as the freshman coach six seasons.^[6][7]

Lester was the head football coach for Caldwell High School and Atchison High School and compiled a record of 51–21–3.^[6][8] He also coached basketball for Caldwell.^[3]

Lester was an All-Central Intercollegiate Conference (CIC) end for Pittsburg State from 1948 to 1951.^[3]

Head coaching record

College football

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Pittsburg State Gorillas (Central Intercollegiate Conference) (1967–1968)
1967	Pittsburg State	6–2–1	3–1	2nd
1968	Pittsburg State	4–5–1	2–1–1	T–2nd
Pittsburg State Gorillas (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) (1969–1971)
1969	Pittsburg State	5–5	2–3	6th (Plains)
1970	Pittsburg State	9–2	4–1	1st (Plains)
1971	Pittsburg State	8–1–1	3–1–1	2nd (Plains)
Pittsburg State Gorillas (Great Plains Athletic Conference) (1972–1975)
1972	Pittsburg State	5–5	3–3	T–4th
1973	Pittsburg State	3–7	2–3	T–3rd
1974	Pittsburg State	4–7	4–1	2nd
1975	Pittsburg State	4–4–2	3–2	T–2nd
Pittsburg State:		48–38–5	26–16–2
Total:		48–38–5
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

1. "Thomas Arthur Lester - Pittsburg, KS - Morning Sun". Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
2. "Former Pittsburg State football coach dies". www.kshb.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012.
3. "Tom Lester Hired At Pittsburg State". The Wichita Eagle. January 19, 1967. p. 35. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
4. "Pittsburg grid coach Lester axed". Springfield Leader and Press. April 22, 1976. p. 35. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
5. College Football Data Warehouse Archived September 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Pittsburg State University Gorillas all-time coaching records
6. "Sports News Items". The Optimist. April 6, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
7. Boggs, Dean (August 8, 1961). "Out Of Bounds". The Atchison Daily Globe. p. 9. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
8. "Tom Lester Named Football Coach At Kansas High School". The Drumright Derrick. May 6, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved August 19, 2024.