Tom Amstutz was jovial almost to the point of being downright giddy as he sat at his desk recently in the UT football complex. In front of him was a roll of toilet paper, which he used to carefully wrap his collectible fishing lures before placing them in a small box with the delicacy of a fisherman tying a homemade fly.

“I’m having fun,” the former UT football coach said with a grin that would make a large-mouth bass envious. “I’m relaxed.”

Tom Amstutz

This was all part of Amstutz’s  exit strategy. No baggage, just boxes as he packed to leave his home away from home.

After eight years as the Rockets’ head coach, the last three unremarkable, Amstutz and UT came to a very amicable agreement with four games remaining in the current season. Amstutz would announce his retirement, effective at the end of the season, and UT would bestow upon him the title of director of alumni special events.

That position includes speaking engagements and university representation at assorted alumni functions.

The 24-hour rule

“Toledo Tom’s” cheerful demeanor was not just window dressing, a fake facade to impress a writer. Sure, there were emotional moments when he met with UT Athletic Director Mike O’Brien, the two deciding that after 35 years as a player, assistant coach and head coach at UT, it was time for Tom to try a different play.

But coaches have what they call the 24-hour rule. Win or lose, you experience the aftereffects for 24 hours and then it’s on to the next challenge. Coaches deem as absolute truth the belief that if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward. There’s no neutral ground.

Let’s let Amstutz explain:

“Being a head coach is only a so-long situation. During my coaching career, I realized that it’s only going to last maybe three, four, five years. I got up to eight and that’s pretty good. I knew my time was going to be about up and I wanted it to be a positive ending, a positive experience for the university and me. They took care of me and I’m respectively going to take care of them for the next two years. That’s the way I want it. I want to be very positive for them because they have been very positive to me.”

UT will honor the final year of Amstutz’s contract, that extends through 2009, with his new position, plus another eight months. That will take Amstutz to 55, at which time he will have 30 years in as an educator and will be eligible for his pension.

Amstutz won Mid-American Conference championships in 2001 and 2004 and MAC West Division crowns in 2002 and 2005.

There were four bowl appearances, with victories in the 2001 Motor City Bowl and the 2005 GMAC Bowl. But coming into this season following a pair of 5-7 campaigns, Amstutz must have surely considered what it would take to survive, at least for another year.

Not so. Amstutz explains:

“I never looked at it that way. I never look at it as to what I have to do to retain my job. That’s not even in my thoughts. My thoughts were always on what I can do to give my players the best experience I can give them about life, working hard as a team, trying to work toward goals, having better lives and becoming better students. I always wanted to just do the best job I could and whatever happened, happened. That’s what I did here. I worked hard, and good things kept happening for me.”

Big win in The Big House

How about the gigantic win at Michigan, coach? The buzz was that that might save your situation.

“That was a huge accomplishment,” Amstutz replied. “But, again, I didn’t think of that game as saving my job. I didn’t put the two together. I’m out here coaching and whatever happens to me is separate from what I’m thinking about during the season. They’re not related in my mind. I’m just here working for the team.”

One member of the UT athletic department told me that when Amstutz’s retirement situation was resolute, the coach gave off signals that a 900-pound gorilla had jumped off his back and totally vanished.

Not exactly so.

“I’ve always said, going back to when I played, that the best part of football was when it’s over. For example, you practice hard and it’s a great feeling when you take your shower after a great day of practice. After a game, when you’ve laid it all on the line and come away with a victory, that’s the best part of that game, when it’s over. The best part of a grueling season is when it’s over.

“I would say that probably applies to me right now. You lay it all on the line; you’re battling and dealing with little things every day that are tiring and can wear you out a little bit. I felt like I’ve gone in there and battled, and gave it everything I could, and now that part is over. I’m taking the next year and eight months to take a deep breath, recover and then I’ll be ready to go again. I have pretty thick skin and I understand the ups and downs of football and they can happen at any time. I never felt overwhelmed. Whatever came along, I accepted and moved forward.”

No regrets

If Coach Stutz had it to do all over again, this is what he would do differently … nothing.

Let’s let him explain:

“I always did it my way from the first day to the last day. I didn’t have to answer anyone’s requests; I didn’t have to give in from what I believed. When I came in the first year, I changed the offense to a spread, never huddled and we haven’t huddled for eight years since. Fourth down? I go for it on fourth down. I’ve always done what I wanted to do. And because of that I absolutely have no regrets.

“I had four championships and won two bowl games, but I also really enjoyed the last three years of struggling, but in a different way.

That way was that I could help relate to players and help them learn about life from a different perspective. I enjoyed those years just as much. I had fun doing that, too. I would change nothing. I enjoyed all the years and all the way things happened.”

And now it’s off to water aerobics three times a week, two days a week with a personal trainer, hunting, fishing, collecting fishing lures and doing whatever he darn well pleases on Saturday afternoons.

But the depth of this fun-loving native Toledoan also continues to protrude in a positive manner.

He will continue to visit juveniles incarcerated in the Toledo Juvenile Justice Center each week as he did last summer. He also wants to seek out former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett, who, after a sensational freshman season at OSU in living up to his prep All-American status, has been incarcerated in the Lucas County Correctional Center following robbery and other related charges.

Care to explain, Coach?

“It’s something I enjoy doing. I want to let them know there’s hope and they can change the pattern of things they’re doing, get a good education, adjust who the friends are they hang out with and get their behavior going in a more positive direction.

“A lot of those kids are sitting down there and no one is talking about hope to them and I feel I have a gift for that. I tell them, a lot of football stories and about the players who came from some really rough backgrounds and accomplished a lot of things in their lives.

“I’m going to visit Maurice Clarett. I spoke at a county All-Star football banquet where I met Maurice and his mother. I haven’t talked to him since, but I figure he needs some positive words from someone. I think he’ll remember me.”

It’s not easy to forget someone like Tom Amstutz.

He said there’s a “75 percent chance” that he will return to football in some capacity once he fulfills his commitment to UT. Coach Stutz might return to coaching, become a fundraiser or maybe even an NFL scout.

He said he has had offers concerning all three of those possibilities.

The 24-hour rule has expired. It’s on to bigger and better things for the always effervescent “Toledo Tom” Amstutz.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 1:00 am and is filed under Rocket Football, Sports.
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