2012-GameRelease-Divisional

He coached the defensive line at Catawba in 1997 as an unpaid assistant and started selling entrance
rugs on straight commission to earn a paycheck.
Catawba head coach Chip Hester, then in his first year as an assistant with Tomsula, quickly recognized
the new guy had a gift.
“Jim's got a passion for the game, but even more than that he's got a passion for people,” Hester said. “...
Guys have to know that you care about them for you to be able to coach them. And that's something that
comes across. He is genuine. He's got a huge heart. And on top of that, he has a knowledge base that
guys trust. They know if they do what he says, it's going to work.”
PHONE CALL OUT OF THE BLUE
Hester wasn't the only one to notice. Based on the recommendation of a coach who knew Tomsula,
legendary NFL wide receiver Lionel Taylor, the head coach of NFL Europe's London Monarchs, called
and offered Tomsula a job as the team's defensive line coach.
Tomsula, who had just lost his sales job because the rug company went out of business, was at a loss for
words, a rare occurrence. His initial response: What are you talking about? Who is this?
“I'm not giving religion lessons or anything else,” Tomsula said. “I'm just telling you that out of the blue I
get this call. ... I mean, here we are, one minute I'm looking for a job trying to buff some floors or cut some
plywood. And the next thing I know we're living in London and I'm coaching with Lionel Taylor. That's the
God's truth.”
Tomsula, a master of teaching technique and fundamentals, flourished in the developmental league. The
Monarchs folded after he was there one season, but Tomsula was hired by the Scottish Claymores and
stayed in Glasgow for five seasons as the defensive line coach. He became the defensive coordinator for
the Berlin Thunder, who won the World Bowl in his first season with a defense that ranked first against
the run.
Finally, at 38, he became the youngest head coach in league history when the Rhein Fire hired him in
2006.
After the NFL Europe seasons, Tomsula worked at coaching clinics across the continent. The family
would then spend the other half of the year back in North Carolina, where Tomsula continued to coach as
an assistant at Catawba.
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THE GAME
Catawba defensive coordinator Bob Lancaster, whom Tomsula hired when he coached the Rhein Fire,
recognizes his friend as a fellow coaching junkie.
“It's like my dad would tell me, if you can live without the game, do it,” said Lancaster, whose dad
coached in the Canadian Football League. “Jimmy's one of those guys, I don't think he can live without
the game. He loves football. It's just the way he coaches. He has guys willing to run through a brick wall
for him.”
Tomsula's passionate style has translated to the NFL. The 49ers haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 22
straight games, the longest active streak in the league. They have also allowed 3.7 yards per carry since
Tomsula's arrival in 2007, the NFL's fourth-best mark during that span.
At this point in his one-of-a-kind journey, Tomsula, Jim Nobody from Nowhere, has been everywhere,
from the Piggly Wiggly to Paris to the Pyrenees.