Knox College Prairie Fire

In December of 2012, Damon Tomeo was announced as the 30th Head Football Coach in Knox College history.
 
Entering his 22nd year in the coaching ranks, Tomeo has produced new found success for Prairie Fire Football. His team’s five wins in the 2017 campaign marked the most in his tenure and the highest mark since the 2002 squad went 6-4. Since his inaugural season, Tomeo has coached 41 All-Midwest Conference selections and has had over 95 players named to the Midwest Conference All-Academic Team. The 2020 Graduating Senior Class amassed the best 4 year record since 2005-2008.
           
Off the field, the Prairie Fire Football program has completed numerous community service projects for various organizations throughout Galesburg as part of an initiative led by Tomeo to increase Knox’s involvement within the community.
           
Prior to accepting the position at Knox, the California native served the 2011 and 2012 seasons as an Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator for Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Claremont, CA. During his time there, Pomona-Pitzer improved in total defense, scoring defense and passing defense. Tomeo also played an integral part in the team’s recruiting efforts, helping Pomona-Pitzer to their largest roster size in the school’s history.
 
Throughout his career, the Pomona College graduate has served as an assistant at Colorado State University - Pueblo, California Lutheran University, the University of Arizona and the University of Redlands, as well.
 
Tomeo was last a head coach at Minnesota State University - Moorhead from 2006 to 2009. During his tenure, he coached two All-Americans and 32 All-Conference players on the way to breaking more than 40 school records.
 
Tomeo graduated from Pomona College in 1998, where he was a four-year starter on the football team and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. He continued his education at the University of Redlands with a Master’s degree in Education Administration.
 
Tomeo and his wife Carolyn have a 12-year old daughter, Molly, and reside in Dahinda.