GEORGE TOMA— GOD OF SOD— AND THEN SOME!
By Suz Trusty
George Toma has long said, “Every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’” And throughout his career, no one ever worked “for him;” they have all worked “with him.”
George Toma Golden Rake Award George Toma is one of the Founders of STMA, one of its supporters and has served, and continues to serve, as a mentor for many of those in the sports turf industry. He continues to emphasize the importance of the entire crew in effective sports turf management. He also has proven that starting from the ground up, it’s possible to achieve your highest goals—if you love what you do and give it your all—and then some.
Te George Toma Golden Rake Award was established to honor all that Toma has achieved and to keep the “and then some” spirit growing and thriving within STMA. Issued annually to an individual who is on that quest to reach their goals, the award acknowledges the superior performance of a sports turf crew member in “on the job” activities and in community service.
Pro Football Hall of Fame George Toma, playing field consultant and career groundskeeper for the National Football League, received the Daniel F. Reeves Pioneer Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 3, 2001.
Presented periodically by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the name of the late Daniel F. Reeves, former owner of the Los Angeles Rams, the Pioneer Award honors an individual whose innovative ideas have contributed to the game of professional football.
Toma, considered a master at his trade, is sport's preeminent groundskeeper, according to the Hall of Fame. His innovations, expert care and preservation of pro football's championship fields, has earned him widespread recognition and acclaim. Te Hall of Fame said Toma's ability to revive and maintain playing fields is legendary. In 1966 he was hired by the NFL to prepare the field for the first Super Bowl—a role he continues today with 53 straight Super Bowls under his belt. Te "god of sod," as he is called, has served as a consultant for several NFL teams that have faced problems with playing surfaces.
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TPI President Eric Heuver greets George Toma during the STMA Con-
ference in January 2019. Toma made a quick trip from Super Bowl prepa- rations to present the George Toma Golder Rake Award to Abby McNeal, CSFM, CPRP, city wide operations superintendent for City and County of Denver Parks. Photo by David Bradley.
Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame Toma was introduced to field preparation at age 13 by the groundskeeper at Artillery Park in Wilkes-Barre, PA, who hired Toma to rake the infield before games. In 1957, after a steady progression through baseball's minor leagues, Toma was named head groundskeeper for the Kansas City Athletics, where he transformed Municipal Stadium's notoriously poor field into one of baseball's best. Ten in 1963, the Kansas City Chiefs of the young American Football League hired Toma to provide the same services for their football field, which he did until 1990. Additionally, he was head groundskeeper for Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals from 1969 to 1995.
Universally regarded as the best groundskeeper in sports, Toma earned his nicknames of the 'Nitty-Gritty Dirt Man' and the 'Sultan of Sod' in Kansas City. He was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame in October of 2012. He previously had joined his mentor, Emil Bossard, as the first inductees into the MLB Groundskeeper Association Hall of Fame in January of 2012.
Toma celebrated his 90th birthday on Groundhog Day; worked the Super Bowl on February 3; and then headed to Fort Meyers to prepare fields for MLB’s spring training. His wish for his industry friends and colleagues, “May all your good fortunes be as numerous as blades of grass—and then some.”
Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News. TPI Turf News March/April 2019
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