Myers, Tom (Thomas Welborn), 1943-

Thomas Wellborn Myers was born on August 13, 1943 in Piqua, Ohio. Myers spent much of his youth in Troy, Ohio and attended Troy High School. In an autobiographical statement composed while in high school, Myers wrote of his future, “I have some ideas that I thought would be nice and they are being a jet test pilot or a professional football player. I don’t know whether I have what it takes to be either one of them or not, but I would like to find out.” As an accomplished quarterback for Troy, Myers completed a remarkable 73 touchdown passes for his team. He was recruited to play football by a number of universities and ultimately selected Northwestern University. Myers matriculated to Northwestern’s School of Education as a member of the class of 1965.

Myers played on the Northwestern freshman football team in 1961 and became the starting quarterback for Northwestern’s varsity team beginning in 1962. Playing for head coach Ara Parseghian, Myers quickly earned a national reputation for his excellent passing and for guiding the team’s offense during an outstanding 1962 season. Northwestern that year earned a top national ranking for a period of time although two late-season losses gave the team a 7-2 record and knocked the Wildcats out of the national polls. Myers established several Northwestern passing records, among them those for pass attempts in a season (195), completions (116), and yardage (1,537). Even though the Wildcats didn’t fare as well in successive seasons, Myers’ continued to be a force on the team through his senior year.

Myers was named an All-American player in 1962, and was featured in the football coverage of national magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated and Playboy . In 1970 he was recognized as an All-Time All-American. After college, fulfilling one of his early goals, he went on to play professional football. Myers was a fourth-round draft pick for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was a member of the Lions for two seasons.

Myers left the NFL to pursue another other goal, learning to fly. He enjoyed a distinguished 30-year career as a commercial pilot with Sears, Roebuck and Company. In 1991, Myers accepted induction into the Northwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame. His hometown of Troy, Ohio added Myers to its Hall of Fame, for his football successes, in 1998. Troy High School inducted him to its Athletic Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2013.

From the guide to the Tom Myers Papers, 1943-2013, 1950-1970, (Northwestern University Archives)