Sun Devil Athletics mourns the death of former Assistant Football Coach and Athletic Director Dick Tamburo, who passed away on Monday.
Tamburo served as ASU's Athletic Director from 1980 until 1985. He laid the groundwork for Sun Devil Athletics programs by bringing on influential administrators like Joe McDonald, who passed in November 2019. Under his leadership, the Sun Devils brought home the 1981 NCAA Baseball Championship and seventeen National Championships overall.
For his significant contribution to the game, Tamburo was a recipient of the Frank Kush Lifetime Achievement Coaching Award from the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Before returning to ASU as Athletic Director, Tamburo held previous administrative roles at Kent State and the University of Illinois before being named the Athletic Director at Texas Tech in 1978.
Tamburo spent nine seasons as an Assistant Coach at Arizona State. He was on Head Coach Frank Kush's staff for three WAC titles and three second-place finishes during one of the most successful eras in program history. Overall, the Sun Devils went 66-23-1 during the years Tamburo was on staff. He left Arizona State and went on to coach another four seasons at the University of Iowa.
For three seasons, Tamburo played center at Michigan State. In 1952, seven different media outlets selected him as a First Team College Football All-American. Throughout his playing career, Tamburo was part of an offensive line that paved the way for a dominant Spartan rushing attack, accumulating almost 8,000 team rushing yards. He only lost a single game and won two national championships ('51 & '52) while in East Lansing, in addition to being named the team's MVP for his senior season.
A visitation will be held on Friday, March 6 from 5-8 p.m. at the Lakeshore Mortuary, 1815 S. Dobson Road, Mesa, Arizona 85202. A memorial will be held on Saturday, March 7 at 11:30 a.m. at Gethsemane Church, 1035 E. Guadalupe Road, Tempe, Arizona 85283.
Tamburo served as ASU's Athletic Director from 1980 until 1985. He laid the groundwork for Sun Devil Athletics programs by bringing on influential administrators like Joe McDonald, who passed in November 2019. Under his leadership, the Sun Devils brought home the 1981 NCAA Baseball Championship and seventeen National Championships overall.
For his significant contribution to the game, Tamburo was a recipient of the Frank Kush Lifetime Achievement Coaching Award from the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Before returning to ASU as Athletic Director, Tamburo held previous administrative roles at Kent State and the University of Illinois before being named the Athletic Director at Texas Tech in 1978.
Tamburo spent nine seasons as an Assistant Coach at Arizona State. He was on Head Coach Frank Kush's staff for three WAC titles and three second-place finishes during one of the most successful eras in program history. Overall, the Sun Devils went 66-23-1 during the years Tamburo was on staff. He left Arizona State and went on to coach another four seasons at the University of Iowa.
For three seasons, Tamburo played center at Michigan State. In 1952, seven different media outlets selected him as a First Team College Football All-American. Throughout his playing career, Tamburo was part of an offensive line that paved the way for a dominant Spartan rushing attack, accumulating almost 8,000 team rushing yards. He only lost a single game and won two national championships ('51 & '52) while in East Lansing, in addition to being named the team's MVP for his senior season.
A visitation will be held on Friday, March 6 from 5-8 p.m. at the Lakeshore Mortuary, 1815 S. Dobson Road, Mesa, Arizona 85202. A memorial will be held on Saturday, March 7 at 11:30 a.m. at Gethsemane Church, 1035 E. Guadalupe Road, Tempe, Arizona 85283.