USA Ultimate

Playing Career 

• Tom is one of the founding fathers of Ultimate, having started the sport on the West Coast. He first started playing pick-up games in Santa Barbara in 1974. Two years later the Condors were playing competitively, and in 1977 the team won its first national title, defeating Penn State at the Rose Bowl in front of 60,000 fans.
   
• 1978 the Condors defended their championship in Santa Barbara against Cornell. During these years Tom was widely recognized as not only the finest Ultimate player but also the best disc golfer and one of the best all-round Frisbee Players. 
  
  
• In 1979, Tom was instrumental in helping to establish the UPA, bringing together five regional champions for the club championships at Penn State. The Condors lost in the finals to Glassboro, which at the time was a monumental upset, as the Condors had gone undefeated for nearly two years and had crushed the ‘Boro in round-robin play. The ‘Boro would prove to be no fluke, however, as they repeated as champions in 1980, with TK and the Condors placing fourth. 
  
  
• In 1981 TK and the team rebounded and won their third national title, their first under the UPA banner. TK continued to play at a high level until 1984, when a knee injury cut short his playing career. 
  
  
• He helped establish the co-ed program at UCSB and the club team, The Black Tide, which went on to become a dominant force in college Ultimate. Perhaps most importantly, TK embodied the underlying "Spirit of the Game" both on and off the field. He never put himself first; it was always what was best for the team and for the sport of Ultimate. 
  
  
• He was also active in the community, promoting Ultimate at local high schools and giving workshops for the Special Olympics. As teammates and opponents from that time will attest, TK was the most important and influential player of his generation.
   
• Tom and the Condors also won four straight World Flying Disc Championships (1980), which at that time was the largest and most prestigious Ultimate tournament in the western states. Tom and the Condors also won numerous California State Championships (including four straight from 1980-84) and the Solstice tournament in Eugene, Ore., where he captained teams with mostly rookies from UCSB and led them to impressive victories.
   

US National Championship Tournaments  

Contributions and Service 

• First National Director of the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) regional coordinator; 1979-82
   
• Founder and team captain of the Santa Barbara Condors, 1974-84 
   
• One of the founders of the UCSB Club team, The Black Tide, which he coached from 1984-85 
   
• Spent a 10-week tour of Japan in 1978 to introduce and promote various disc sports 
   
• Demonstrations at high schools, Special Olympics, 1984 Los Angeles, and at a California State Penitentiary
   
• Co-authored the book, Ultimate: Fundamentals of the Sport, with Irv Kalb in 1982
   

Other Accomplishments 

Personal Life 

[PHOTO CREDIT: Stuart Beringer]