Broncbuster athletic spotlight: Meet Head Coach Tom Minnick

History is something that Tom Minnick is used to making. When Arizona Western decided to dissolve its football program following the 2018 season, Minnick was the most coveted coaching free agent in the history of Junior College football.

"As soon as we knew Coach (Jeff) Sims was leaving, we knew who we wanted," assistant athletic director Colin Lamb said. "It was just a matter of making it work."

Truth be told, Minnick had plenty of suitors. But he was instantly drawn to Garden City, a program he personally watched go from rebuild to Jayhawk Conference Giant in the matter of one season.

"I know exactly what I'm taking over," Minnick said during his introductory press conference in Dec., 2018. "But I know something about rebuilding programs too."

Minnick's bravado wasn't cocky; it was on point. Yes, he was taking over for Sims, the same coach that lifted Garden City from the cellar all the way to the program's first national title in 2016. But he was in familiar territory.

During his first season, Garden City was right in the National Championship mix. The Broncbusters won eight games and finished second in the Jayhawk Conference. They were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation while churning out four All-Americans led by linebacker Krishonn Merriweather, who led the country in tackles.

"We want to build off what we did in year one," Minnick said. "Honestly, it's great to win eight games, but we want to compete for national titles."

When Minnick arrived in Yuma, AZ in 2008, he inherited a program that had not been to a bowl game in 40 years. And after a 6-5 campaign in his first season, the Fort Wayne, IN. native made it a tradition to go bowling in December. In fact, he guided the Matadors to 10 straight bowl game appearances. In just his fourth season, Arizona Western played East Mississippi in the National Championship, a game in which they nearly dug out of a 27-0 hole against NJCAA record-breaking quarterback Bo Wallace.

"I'm not scared to take over for a successful coach," Minnick said. "That's the nature of this business. But we have a proven track record of success in a similar situation."

Minnick's arrival in southwest Arizona coincided with the program's greatest stretch of dominance since NJCAA Hall of Famer Ray Butcher led the Matadors to the 1972 National Championship.

With Minnick at the helm, Arizona Western won 10 or more games four times, played in three national title games, and finished in the top 20 in eight out of his 11 seasons there.  Twice, he guided the Matadors to 11-win campaigns, including the 2016 squad, who came within seconds of claiming the school's second National Championship.

"Garden City is on the map," Minnick said. "Our job is to continue the success that Coach Sims established here. I have all the confidence in the world that we can do that."

Minnick's coaching pedigree is well documented. After his playing career ended in 1991, he joined forces with another NJCAA legend-Bob MacDougall at the College of DuPage, the same coach and school that Minnick played for as a star quarterback.

It was in Chicago where the coaching foundation was set. DuPage played in a bowl game every year that Minnick was there, finishing as the No. 2 team in the nation in 1993 and 1995. In 1994, they went 11-0 and were crowned Midwest Bowl Champions.

Minnick eventually followed MacDougall to Joliet, where in 2002, they became the first non-scholarship program in the history of the NJCAA to win the overall National Championship. The year before, DuPage was crowed the best non-scholarship team in the land. When MacDougall retired following the 2005 season, Minnick replaced his mentor, winning 10 games in 2007 and pushing his team past Iowa Area Community College in the Graphic Edge Bowl. He was named Region IV Coach of the Year at season's end.

Minnick's' time at Joliet ended following the 2007 season, when he took the head job at Arizona Western. Four years later, Joliet dropped the program completely, ending one of the most dominating eras of football in region history.

During his head coaching stops, Minnick has tutored some of the top players in the country, including safety Bryce Beekman and defensive back Elijah Blades, two stalwarts at Arizona Western last year who signed with Washington State and Texas A&M respectively. His 2017 team produced Bryce Perkins, now the starting quarterback at Virginia. His runner-up squad from 2016 was led by National Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Macon, who inked with Oklahoma State before he transferred to South Florida. Also on that team was four-star tight end Jeremy Patton, who burned the Broncbusters for a touchdown during the National Championship Game. He had offers from several Power-5 schools before landing at Arkansas.

In 2009 and again in 2010, Minnick coached one of the nation's best backs in Reggie Bullock, who went onto play at East Carolina. In 2011, he mentored another dazzling running back in Damien Williams, who played at Oklahoma and is currently with the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2012, Randy Gregory spent one season at Arizona Western; transferred to Nebraska; then was taken in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.