Background
Tom Blackburn was born in 1906.
Tom Blackburn was born in 1906.
The Peebles, Ohio native served as head men"s basketball coach at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, from 1947 until his death in 1964. He worked as a steelworker for two years before enrolling at Wilmington College where he played football, basketball and baseball. In World World War II, Blackburn joined the Navy physical education program at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
After the war, he became a golf pro in North Carolina.
Blackburn"s insistence on strict discipline within his program helped lift Dayton to national prominence in the following years. Blackburn"s second team finished with a winning record and was invited to the National Catholic Invitational post-season tournament.
Two years later, Blackburn"s Flyers would receive the first of 10 National Institute of Technology invitations. Blackburn established Dayton as a national college basketball powerhouse through the 1950s and early 1960s, advancing to the National Institute of Technology Finals six times in what at the time was regarded as the more prestigious post season college basketball tournament.
Blackburn fell ill with cancer during the 1963-1964 season, but coached the Flyers through all but the final three games before stepping down.
Assistant coach Don Donoher served as interim coach for the rest of the season, though Dayton credits the entire season to Blackburn. Blackburn died on March 6, 1964, eight days after his last game on the Flyers bench.