When the San Francisco 49ers promoted defensive line coach Jim Tomsula to head coach, it didn't surprise many people. He has plenty of advocates within the organization, and he commands a great deal of respect from his players.
Tomsula prides himself on being a no-BS coach, but he would likely need skilled coordinators to excel. The 49ers already turned to Tomsula as their interim head coach after Mike Singletary was fired, and have now asked him to take the reins for good.
"Our organization is excited to have Jim Tomsula leading this football team," GM Trent Baalke said. "We have had the privilege of working alongside Jim for the past eight seasons. He is a proven leader, teacher and mentor, and we look forward to seeing him apply his craft and vision to our team."
The 46-year-old has been with San Francisco as the defensive line coach since 2007, but rose through the coaching ranks in the old NFL Europe before jumping to the 49ers.
His unusual path started as an assistant coach at Charleston Southern before making the jump across the pond. Tomsula was hired as the defensive line coach of the England Monarchs in 1998 before taking the same job with the Scottish Claymores in 1999. He stayed there until 2004, when he became the defensive coordinator of the Berlin Thunder, winning the World Bowl (NFL Europe’s version of the Super Bowl) in his first year. He then was hired as the head coach of the Rhein Fire in 2006, going 6-4 in his lone season before being hired by the 49ers.
Tomsula interviewed for the head coaching job with the Minnesota Vikings last year, and has been considered to be a candidate for many other jobs around the league.
He has been an integral part in transforming San Francisco’s defense into one of the best in the league, and the franchise thinks he’s the best coach to bring them back to the playoffs.
"I think for teams to be successful, you have to have as much continuity from year to year as much as possible," wideout Anquan Boldin told 120sports.com. "And I think hiring Coach Tomsula gives us that continuity. The less change that you have, I think, the better chance you have to be successful the following year."
Follow our San Francisco 49ers team page for all the latest 49ers news and rumors!
Back to the San Francisco 49ers Newsfeed