Nate’s Notes 52: Tom Holmoe | Relationships and Roles

Tom Holmoe has succeeded in life at the highest levels, and I love the lessons he shared today.

First, relationships count. Over and again, Tom has witnessed less talented teams achieve greater success than more talented teams, because of the relationships of the team members. Tom especially loves seeing teams develop significant relationships, where people give beyond reason, which lifts them to a level that they couldn’t achieve without each other.

Second, know your role. Tom was always talented, but he wasn’t the most talented player, not even in high school. And when he played for the 49ers he backed up Ronnie Lott. But he knew his role, which included being a great teammate both on and off the field, he accepted his role, and he magnified it. The 49ers didn’t need 53 players that were stars. They needed 53 players that came together as one.

Given the success that Tom has achieved in multiple areas of his life, I hope to remember and incorporate these lessons: build relationships, know your role, and magnify it.

It’s a simple. But please take it seriously. 

Tom Holmoe Bio:

Tom Holmoe is the athletic director for BYU. Tom first went to BYU on a football scholarship. As a senior he was named to the all-Wac team and was later drafted by the 49ers in the fourth round. Over a seven-year NFL career, he won three Super Bowl championships with the 49ers. After retiring from professional football, Tom returned to BYU to serve as a graduate assistant under LaVell Edwards. He then accepted an offer from Bill Walsh to coach Stanford’s secondary, and then returned to the 49ers as a DB coach and won a fourth super bowl. He then joined the University of California as defensive coordinator and later became head coach for several years.

In summary, Tom knows how to succeed. 

I hope you enjoyed learning from Tom Holmoe, because I always do.