A Legend Says Farewell

Delaware’s Tubby Raymond Calls it Quits After 36 Years, 300 Wins and Three National Championships
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“Nothing lasts forever, and so it is with me.”

With those simple words, coaching legend Harold R. “Tubby” Raymond announced his retirement after 36 years as head coach at the University of Delaware.

While with the Blue Hens, the 75-year-old Raymond became only the ninth college coach to win 300 games and only the fourth to win them all at the same school. In an era when pressure to produce wins is higher then ever and job security can be fleeting, it is worth noting that Raymond was only the third Blue Hens coach since 1940.

He was known as an outstanding strategist on the offensive side of the football, using the Wing-T offense to guide Delaware to the national scoring title in 1982 (34.1 points per game). His offense was first in total offense in 1969, first in rushing and fifth in total offense in 1968. In 1971, the Blue Hens led the nation in both categories.

Raymond’s accomplishments weren’t limited to the football field. The coach is an accomplished acrylic painter who painted a portrait of a senior member of his team each week during the season for most of his tenure at Delaware. His painting has brought him national attention, including features on ABC’s Good Morning America and the NBC Nightly News and in Sports Illustrated. His artwork can be found on the 1990 and 1999 Delaware media guides.

He also served as the head coach of Blue Hens baseball team from 1956-65 and was once a catcher in the New York Yankees minor league system.

Raymond is also a past president of the American Football Coaches Association and currently chairman of its Rules Committee.

Let’s take a look at some of Tubby Raymond’s accomplishments as the Delaware football coach:

• A career record of 300-119-3 makes Raymond the third winningest coach at the NCAA Division I-AA level, behind Grambling’s Eddie Robinson and Eastern Kentucky’s Roy Kidd.

• Raymond coached football for all or part of seven decades; his 300 wins represent more than half of Delaware’s 575 all-time football victories in 110 seasons of intercollegiate competition.

• Raymond coached Delaware to national titles in 1971, 1972 and 1979, 14 Lambert Cup Eastern Championships; 16 NCAA playoff appearances; and six Atlantic-10 conference football titles (formerly the Yankee Conference).

• Raymond is one of only two coaches to win the AFCA Coach of the Year award. He won the honor for both the 1971 and 1972 national championship seasons.

• Thirty-one of Raymond’s 36 Delaware teams had winning records. He had a 13-year streak of winning seasons broken with a 4-6 record in his final season. Only 13 of his Delaware teams had less than eight victories.

• He was named Division II Coach of the Year in 1979 by ABC Sports and Chevrolet.

• Raymond was also give the Vince Lombardi Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, given in recognition of lifetime achievement by Eastern coaches.

• He was elected to the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

• Raymond had a career postseason record of 22-15 (.594); was 32-27-1 (.542) against Division I-A competition; 108-41 (.725) in conference play, including 89-38 (.703) in the Yankee/Atlantic 10 conference.

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