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Tom Gilmore is now in his fifth season as the head football coach at the College of the Holy Cross. The Crusaders have gone 23-16 over their past 39 games under Gilmore's leadership, and enter 2008 looking to contend for the Patriot League title, after finishing just one game out of first place in each of the last two seasons.

During the 2007 campaign, Gilmore led Holy Cross to an overall mark of 7-4, while placing second in the Patriot League at 4-2. The Crusaders led the conference in in total offense (463.4 yards/game), scoring offense (35.9 points/game), passing offense (335.2 yards/game), turnover margin (+1.0 turnovers/game) and pass efficiency (140.0 rating), while standing second in pass defense (183.8 yards/game) and pass efficiency defense (117.0 rating). Seven of Gilmore's players earned all-conference honors in 2007, including Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Walter Payton Award finalist Dominic Randolph.

In 2006, Gilmore was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year, after his squad posted an overall record of 7-4, while finishing just a game out of first place in the conference at 4-2. The Crusaders nearly tied for the league title, as they suffered a one-point loss at Colgate in the season finale. Holy Cross also led the Patriot League in several statistical categories, including total offense (384.4 yards per game), passing offense (271.5 yards per game), pass efficiency defense (108.4 rating), first downs (239) and third down conversions (46.3 percent). In addition, seven members of Gilmore's team earned All-Patriot League honors.

During the 2005 campaign, Gilmore led the Crusaders to an overall record of 6-5 and a fourth place finish in the Patriot League with a 3-3 mark in conference games. In addition, Gilmore's team posted a 13-10 road victory over 10th-ranked Lehigh, good for the school's first win against a ranked opponent since the 2000 season. Following the conclusion of the 2005 campaign, seven Crusaders earned All-Patriot League honors, with tailback / kick returner Steve Silva being named a consensus first team All-American, and earning National Special Teams Player of the Year honors from Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. Gilmore's 2005 team also led the Patriot League in turnover margin (+1.0 turnovers per game), kickoff returns (23.4 yards per return), punt returns (16.0 yards per return) and red zone efficiency (scoring 90.5 percent of the time).

In 2004, Gilmore's first Holy Cross squad finished with an overall record of 3-8, rebounding from an 0-5 start to win three of their final six games. The Crusaders tripled the team's win total from the year prior to his arrival, and finished among the Patriot League leaders in both kickoff returns (first, 23.7 yards per return) and passing offense (second, 207.3 yards per game).

Gilmore was introduced as the 27th head football coach in Holy Cross history on January 8, 2004, after serving as defensive coordinator at Lehigh University for the previous four seasons. During his time with the Mountain Hawks, he helped lead the team to an overall record of 39-9, two undefeated regular seasons, two Patriot League championships and two trips to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Gilmore also helped Lehigh to first round playoff victories in both 2000 and 2001, with the Mountain Hawks winning the 2001 Lambert Cup.

In 2003, he shaped the Lehigh defense into one of the top defenses in all of Division I-AA football. The Mountain Hawks were ranked at the top of the Patriot League in several categories, including scoring defense (first, 16.8 points per game), sacks (first, 34 for a loss of 177 yards), rushing defense (second, 126.2 yards per game), total defense (second, 304.9 yards per game) and pass defense (third, 178.7 yards per game). Lehigh also led the conference and ranked among the national leaders in first downs allowed (just 16 per game) and third down defense (23.8 percent conversions allowed).

In 2001, Gilmore was named the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year, after molding a young and inexperienced defense into a unit that allowed just 15.8 points per game and 86.6 rushing yards per game. The Mountain Hawks ranked fifth in the nation in rushing yards allowed and 12th in the nation in points allowed that season. Lehigh also ranked 19th in the nation in total defense (295.0) and fifth in turnover margin (+1.30). Three of his players were named to the 2001 All-Patriot League team, including Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Abdul Byron.

In his first season at the helm of the Lehigh defense, Gilmore helped the Mountain Hawks rank sixth in the nation in scoring defense (14.5 points per game), and fifth in both rushing defense (98.0 yards per game) and turnover margin (+1.45 per game). In addition, the team ranked fourth in the nation in interceptions (22) and scored five defensive touchdowns.

Prior to his time at Lehigh, Gilmore coached at Dartmouth College for eight seasons. While at Dartmouth, he served as offensive line coach, linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. He helped the Big Green to two Ivy League titles, and in the 1996 season, Dartmouth finished the year ranked 17th in the nation after posting a perfect 10-0 mark. Gilmore also helped Dartmouth to a 22-game unbeaten streak from 1995-1997, which still ranks as the third-longest unbeaten streak in Division I-AA history. In addition, Gilmore coached a team of Ivy League All-Stars at the 1996 Epsom Ivy Bowl in Osaka, Japan.

As Dartmouth's defensive coordinator during the 1997 season, he led one of the best defensive units in the school's recent history. The Big Green ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 77.3 yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry. Dartmouth also allowed just 16.5 points per game in 1997, while recording 40 quarterback sacks, 57 tackles for loss and 17 interceptions in 10 games. Gilmore's defense also scored four touchdowns that season, two of which were game-winning scores.

Gilmore began his coaching career as an assistant defensive line coach at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. From 1987-1989 he served as the defensive line and outside linebackers coach at Columbia, before returning to Penn in 1990. He coached the Quakers offensive line for two seasons before heading north to Dartmouth.

An Academic All-American at Pennsylvania, Gilmore graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in computer mathematics. He helped lead the Quakers to four consecutive Ivy League titles, while earning All-America honors during his junior and senior years. As a senior in 1985, Gilmore received the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League Player of the Year, and he remains one of only two linemen to have ever claimed the award. He also earned the George A. Munger Award as the team's Most Valuable Player, and the Class of 1917 Award as Penn's top scholar athlete.

During his playing days, Gilmore set school career records for both quarterback sacks and tackles for loss, while being named National Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated following the final game of his career against Dartmouth. He was also named one of 11 National Scholar Athletes by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1985. After graduating from Penn, Gilmore signed with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League, where he played that summer at outside linebacker.

Born September 25, 1964, Gilmore and his wife, Joan, reside in Shrewsbury, Mass., with their two children, Sarah and John.

Gilmore's Collegiate Coaching File

Years      School        Position
1986       Pennsylvania  Assistant Defensive Line Coach
1987-1989  Columbia      Defensive Line Coach
1990-1991  Pennsylvania  Offensive Line Coach
1992-1995  Dartmouth     Offensive Line Coach
1996       Dartmouth     Linebackers Coach
1997-1999  Dartmouth     Defensive Coordinator
2000-2003  Lehigh        Defensive Coordinator
2004-2008  Holy Cross    Head Coach

Gilmore's Collegiate Head Coaching Record

                   Overall      Conference   Conference
Year  School       Record       Record       Place
2004  Holy Cross   3-8          1-5          6th
2005  Holy Cross   6-5          3-3          4th
2006  Holy Cross   7-4          4-2          3rd
2007  Holy Cross   7-4          4-2          2nd
Career Totals      23-21        12-12