Fighting Irish Thomas
Fighting Irish Thomas
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Bio Thomas Augustine O'Toole was born in Chicago and grew up in a devout Catholic family with five brothers and two sisters. After attending Catholic grammar and high school, he was accepted into the University of Notre Dame. Tom majored in English, but also made the Irish varsity tennis team as a walk-on (a feat statistically rarer than Rudy's) and was also the sports editor of Notre Dame's Scholastic magazine, where his story “Reflections on the Game” won the award for Best Sports Feature for the Indiana Collegiate Press Association. Upon graduation, Tom worked with both writing and teaching. He has taught in the Catholic (as a youth minister and CCD teacher) and public (including jobs in elementary, middle and high school, as well as special ed) sectors, and continues as a sports instructor and coach for the Lombard Park District. Besides his work as a columnist for several suburban newspapers, Tom O'Toole is also a popular freelance writer for many Catholic magazines, including Columbia, The Catholic Faith, Queen of All Hearts, and Culture Wars. His innovative writings on the connection between faith and sports ("Cathletics") has been praised by the Papal Nuncio, and his groundbreaking book Champions of Faith: Catholic Sports Heroes Tell Their Stories is one of the original volumes to be placed on the Vatican shelves where the Pontifical Council of Church and Sport meet. In 2006, Tom published a number of articles on the prestigious Catholic Exchange website, and started his blog Fighting Irish Thomas which has been praised for its Catholic candor and humor. Recently, Mr. O'Toole has spent time working for the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign and currently continues to write and speak about the dire importance of electing a pro-life candidate in 2008. Tom O'Toole lives in Elmhurst, Illinois, with his wife of twenty-four years, Jeanette. They have four children; John-22, Gary-21, Patrick-20, and Therese-17, as well as three cats and a turtle named "Squirtle." |
TOM'S BLOG Comments1-19-07“Tom's speech was indeed inspirational, in the truest sense of the word. We hope to have him back in Tampa soon, and think all who follow the Catholic faith would enjoy his remarks.” Rick Fueyo St. Pat's, Tampa, Florida 9-19-01 “Your book will do much to keep the Catholic story alive and make it appreciated. Keep up the good work.” In Our Lord and Our Lady, Fr. Kurt, O.S.B. Saint Vincent Seminary 7-3-01 “I had the opportunity to read your book with much interest as I returned from Angola in Africa this week. I enjoy your style and your faith transparency.” Sincerely in the Lord Jesus, Most Reverend Dale J. Melczek Bishop of Gary |