One of the more beloved and unique football coaches in the entire state of Virginia, Tommy Reamon has passed away at the age of 73, his son, Tommy Reamon Jr., shared via social media on Thursday.

Reamon suffered a stroke in March and was hospitalized for nearly two months. Back in December, he retired as Head Football Coach at Denbigh High School in Newport News.

It capped a memorable career that saw him as the Head Football Coach on the sidelines for 352 games at six different Hampton Roads schools - Denbigh, Ferguson, Gloucester, Landstown, Manor and Warwick - over 35 seasons.

Stardom found the Newport News native well before he picked up his first whistle to blow, mentoring student-athletes. His prowess on the football field as a running back, beginning at George Washington Carver High School as a Sunkist All-American in 1970, helped pave the way on his journey to the professional ranks. His charm and charisma made him a natural for the silver screen.

Yes, Reamon also was an actor on several televison programs and movies, most notably as Delma Huddle in the 1979 acclaimed movie North Dallas Forty. He also appeared on TV shows like Charlie's Angels, Quincy and Fall Guy.

During his coaching career, Reamon tutored dozen of standouts that would go on to play at the next level, perhaps none more recognizable than former NFL Pro Bowl quarterbacks Aaron Brooks and Michael Vick, now the Head Football Coach at Norfolk State University.

The first player to be named the National Junior College Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons, Reamon rushed for 6500 yards and 46 touchdowns in his two years at Fort Scott, where he led the Greyhounds to an NJCAA Championship in 1971. They returned to tbe Finals in 1972.

From there, Reamon went on to star at the University of Missouri, leading the Tigers in rushing in both 1973 and 1974. He was chosen 2nd Team All-Big Eight during his senior year and ended up being drafted in the ninth round, 223rd overall, in the 1974 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, his brilliance was truly witnessed in the World Football League, earning Tri-MVP honors in '75 with the Florida Blazers. Behind his stellar play, Florida reached its first and only World Bowl. When the WFL folded, he ended up playing for the Steelers and scored a touchdown in the last ever game played between the NFL Super Bowl Champions and College All-Stars.

With the Kansas City Chiefs in 1976, Reamon had 314 yards rushing and four touchdowns to go with 10 receptions for 136 yards and another score over the course of 11 games.

Soon when the playing and acting came to an end, coaching was the next chapter of his story. Darnell Moore struck up a friendship with Reamon in the 1980's. Moore, who guided Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth to State Championships in both 1989 and 1991, competed against Reamon when he was was at Manor High School.

"He was a competitor [that] loved winning and he loved the kids. I might've been a good friend of his, but on that Friday, he wanted to beat my brains out, and vice-versa. If he didn't, he looked so sad and felt like he lost his best friend. So the times that I beat Tommy I felt sorry for him after the game. He took it so hard, but he was about helping kids. Whatever he could do for them," relayed Moore, who later served as Head Football Coach at Norfolk State Unviersity from 1994-98.

"And not just his kids. Kids from other schools, too. He would call them up, mention something about a junior college and make a connection. He wanted to win, but wasn't one of those that wanted to win at all costs or did it by bending of the rules. He was simply about the kids."

The relationship continued to evolve during the 1990's and 2000's between two men with a fondness for developing talented quarterbacks.

"A lot of people don't know I was recruiting Aaron [Brooks] and Michael [Vick]. Michael actually visited Norfolk State, spent the day on campus with me and I took him up to meet the President at Norfolk State. Tommy made sure that happened. That was actually Michael's first experience with Norfolk State," revealed Moore, who squared off against Reamon again when the two were in the Beach District.

Moore coached at Bayside from 2001-12 and faced Reamon six times when he was at Landstown, a 14-season stint that was highlighted by a 12-0 start and trip to the Region 6A Championship in 2017.

"Tommy laid the foundation for a lot of coaches and gave a lot of guys the opportunity to coach and learn some things," added Moore, who later joined his staff at Landstown as a part-time assistant coach. "It was hard to gain Tommy's trust, but once he gained your trust, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for you."

One of those many that learned a lot from Reamon was Denbigh Athletic Director Marcus Johnson-Williams, the man he ended up hiring in 2023 to resurrect a floundering Patriots football program that was outscored 894-13 in the two seasons prior to his arrival.

While Denbigh didn't exactly become a contender in the storied Peninsula District, improvement was noticeable as the Patriots broke a 34-game losing streak in 2024 with a 14-9 triumph over Gloucester. They notched another win, 20-9 over Kecoughtan, and though the 2-9 finish in terms of the overall record was far from celebratory, they ended up reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Johnson-Williams was a center on his Ferguson High football team and later served as an assistant coach with Reamon, both at Warwick High and for 13 seasons at Landstown. Plenty sticks out from those experiences.

"One lasting impression I have from working with Tommy is, 'What we do is bigger than the scoreboard,'" Johnson-Williams noted.

Reamon was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

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