Former Arizona Wildcats football coach Dick Tomey dies at 80 after cancer battle

TUCSON, Ariz. (FOX 10) - Former Arizona Wildcats football coach, Dick Tomey, passed away at age 80 following his battle with cancer.

According to his family, Tomey died Saturday, May 10, 2019, at 9:30 p.m. A celebration of his life will be announced at a later date.

A statement from the Tomey family said, "He died surrounded by his family, resting peacefully, after battling lung cancer for months. We are all heartbroken to lose him, but are forever grateful to have shared his life."

As the winningest coach in Arizona history, Tomey went 95-64-4 as head coach for 14 seasons. He led the Wildcats to nine winning seasons, seven bowl games, and four bowl victories. He earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 1992, the first coach in school history to win the award.

Tomey is survived by his wife Nanci Kincaid, son Rich, daughter Angie, grandsons, Ryan, Chase, Jude Tecklin, granddaughter Taylor, stepdaughter Ali Bergthold, Leigh Chaudhari, and step-grandchildren Caid and Chaley Bergthold.

In lieu of flowers, the Dick Tomey Legacy Fund has been established through the Positive Coaching Alliance, and 100 percent of the funds will go to providing scholarships and programming for underserved youth in the markets where Dick spent the majority of his years in the community as the head football coach.

Visit www.positivecoach.org/TomeyFund to designate the Hawaii, Arizona, or Bay Area Chapter as the beneficiary of your donation to the Dick Tomey Legacy Fund.

Full statement from the Tomey family: