Tom McConnaughey retired in May after over 40 years in the field of football. Well, sort of.
The Federal Way High School graduate and former head coach has already found an upcoming new gig that is right up his alley, albeit a brief one.
He will work as a scout at next year's Senior Bowl college all-star game, helping to evaluate the value of the talent for future signing bonuses.
"It's an after retirement job, but it won't have nearly the work load," said the 67 year-old McConnaughey.
McConnaughey spent the past 28 years as a National Football League scout -- the past three helping the Jacksonville Jaguars in their recent turn-around after 25 years with the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers.
McConnaughey initially left after coaching nine seasons at Federal Way from 1988-96 to accept a scouting job with NSF, which puts on the NFL combine.
"I took a shot at it and never looked back," he said. "As a coach you have to move around a lot. As a scout you do not. You are gone a lot, but you don't have to move."
McConnaughey remains in Federal Way to this day.
"My wife, Sheri, works for the city of Tukwila recreation department," McConnaughey said. "And being only 15 minutes from an airport, drive or fly I could cover my area."
McConnaughey's scouting territory included a wide variety of universities and colleges.
"It was the West Coast for the most part, and a lot of Texas and Oklahoma," he said. "But in 28 years I ended up going all over."
McConnaughey's playing career as a wide receiver with sure hands and deceptive footwork also took him all over.
After graduating from Federal Way in 1975 he played for Central Arkansas, where he recently was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
His late father, Don, was inducted there in 2008.
From there, the younger McConnaughey signed on with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1981.
"I was cut the first week of the season," he said. "Then I was the last cut for the New York Jets and the New Jersey Generals called me. I was a wide receiver for them two years until 1984."
The United States Football League team would end up being owned by Donald Trump.
"He was 36 years old and he was kind of brash," McConnaughey said. "He knew all the players' names, which they thought was cool. The NFL was worried he was paying some players too much. We had six millionaires on the team and the NFL had zero at that time."
As for McConnaughey, he signed with the NFL Philadelphia Eagles "for a whopping $5,000 signing bonus, which was a lot then."
The Minnesota Vikings were next in line to give him a tryout.
"They called me the next season," McConnaughey said. "That's where I broke my jaw and cheek bone. I spent most of the year on injured reserve. They said they were going to sign me the next year, but they never did."
With his playing days now over, he turned to being an assistant coach and teacher at South Kitsap High School.
That's where he also got his first taste of scouting.
"I did part time scouting for Art Rooney Jr. and Pittsburgh," McConnaughey said. "He wanted to hire me, but I was making too much money as an assistant coach and teacher."
McConnaughey was hired as the head coach and a teacher back at Federal Way in 1988.
"I was the youngest coach in the South Puget Sound League at 31," he said. "We had a lot of talent, but not the numbers for the playoffs with teams like Puyallup, Curtis and Kentwood. I was proud of our teams and the guys who came out of the program."
Eagle players included 10 future Division I athletes and 40 small college players.
McConnaughey coached future five year NFL receiver Lake Dawson, who played his college football at Notre Dame.
"Coach Lou Holtz couldn't believe how well prepared he was," McConnaughey said. "And (the late) Bronzell Miller was drafted by the Rams. He was incredible."
McConnaughey brought with him an NFL and USFL approach.
"We tried to incorporate things they did," McConnaughey said. "We filmed practices and not just games. We were ahead of our time. We had solid programs and coaches and culture. Everyone had to bring it every day to every practice and every play."
The assistant coaches included Don Gregory, who preceded McConnaughey as an NFL scout.
"He did some scouting in the Canadian Football League," McConnaughey said. "He was hired by the San Diego Chargers."
The connection helped lead to McConnaughey's change of careers.
McConnaughey gives a lot of the credit for his playing and subsequent coaching and scouting careers to his father, Don, who wound up coaching track and serving as athletic director at Highline College.
"My dad was the consummate teacher and coach," Tom said of Don, who passed away at age 91 in 2021. "He had a huge impact on me. I was just smart enough to listen to him."
Former Raiders receiver Fred Biletnikoff was an influence at a quarterback and receivers camp starting Tom's senior year of high school.
"Matt Bledsoe, Drew's dad, was in charge of receivers and they invited pros to help. One time Fred asked me to stay after practice, and I did and continued to. I got invited back as a college and pro player."
Biletnikoff taught McConnaughey his footwork, and Thomas Jefferson graduate Kenny Mayne provided his strong arm at quarterback to help with off-season practices.
That's the same Kenny Mayne who recently retired after a long career as an ESPN commentator.
"He went to Wenatchee Valley and set all kinds of records," McConnaughey said of Mayne. "Then he was the backup at UNLV."
Now McConnaughey is following Mayne into retirement.
"I'm 67, so I thought it was time," said McConnaughey, whose son, Donny, is an assistant football coach and the head baseball coach at Todd Beamer High School. "My wife, Sheri, can retire after another year, then we'll relocate to Gig Harbor to be closer to our boat."
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Photos courtesy of Tom McConnaughey.
(Top photo) Tom McConnaughey stands with wife Sheri at his Central Arkansas Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Bottom photo) McConnaughey snags a pass for the New Jersey Generals.
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