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Tom Nordquist enters his fifth season at Arizona State as the running backs coach.
In 2004, Nordquist was faced with a challenge as injuries left the Sun Devils' running back corps depleted. Despite the setbacks, Nordquist converted wide receiver Rudy Burgess and linebacker Antone Saulsberry to the tailback position to fill the team's need. Under his tutelate, Burgess racked up 404 yards with a 5.2 yards per carry average. He turned in a stellar 186-yard performance against Stanford and came up big against Purdue in the Sun Bowl.
In 2003, Nordquist's young running backs continued to make strides. Fullback Mike Karney earned honorable-mention All-Pac-10 honors for the second time in his career and was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.
In 2002, three different running backs saw regular action, including two redshirt freshmen. Nordquist drew consistent production from all three while the backfield battled injuries throughout the season. The progress of the unit was evident as junior Mike Williams was named the game's most valuable player after turning in 40 carries for 162 yards and four touchdowns against Arizona.
His 2002 squad featured a pair of players who were named to The Sporting News Pac-10 All-Freshman Team. Additionally, Mike Williams earned first-team Academic All-Pac-10 honors for the second straight year.
In 2001, ASU finished fourth in the Pac-10 in rushing, averaging 167.1 yards per game, while senior Delvon Flowers, who averaged 94.6 yards per game, became the 18th Sun Devil in school history to tally 1,000 rushing yards in a season (1,041). Karney also earned honorable-mention All-Pac-10 honors in 2001 under Nordquist's tutelage.
Prior to coming to ASU, Nordquist coached the tailbacks at Boise State for three seasons. The 2000 Boise State Broncos gained over 1,900 yards, good for second in the Big West Conference. In addition, Boise State's rushing offense averaged nearly 175 yards per game, good for 30th in the country.
Under Nordquist's direction, sophomore Brock Forsey gained 914 yards, scored 16 touchdowns, while also finishing sixth in the country in all-purpose yards.
Before arriving at Boise State, Nordquist spent four seasons as an assistant coach at UNLV. At UNLV, he coached the tackles, tight ends, wide receivers and running backs.
Nordquist played his collegiate football at Oregon State, where he was a two-year starter at center. He transferred to OSU from Arizona Western College, where he was a junior college All-American in 1989.
He is a 1993 graduate of Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in speech communications. Nordquist and his wife, Melissa, are the parents of a son, Jacob (5), and a daughter, Ellie (2).
THE NORDQUIST FILE
Born: July of 1970 in Bloomington, Minn.
High School Education: Santa Rita High School, Tucson, Ariz.
College Education: Oregon State University, 1993
College Football: Arizona Western College, 1988-89; Oregon State University, 1990-91
Coaching Career: Oregon State, 1992-93; University of Nevada-Reno, 1993; UNLV, 1993-98; Boise State, 1998-2000; Arizona State, 2000-present
Recruiting Area: Arizona, New Mexico, Las Vegas
Family: He and his wife, Melissa, have a son, Jacob (5), and a daughter, Ellie (2).
NFL Players Coached
| Name | School | Team |
| Mike Karney | Arizona State | New Orleans Saints |
| Brock Forsey | Boise State | Chicago Bears |
