2006 All Star Coach West
Assistant Coach Eric Tundevold
Union City High School
Eric graduated from Union City in 1967 where he won 13 varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball and track. He earned a BS from CMU in 1971. During the fall of 1971, Eric got his first taste of coaching when he got the chance to be on the freshman coaching staff at CMU. These same young Chippewa’s won the National Championship when they were seniors.
Coach Tundevold started his high school coaching career in the fall of 1972 at Quincy High School as a varsity assistant under Scott Kuglar. Eric became a Co-Head coach at QHS with Mike Nowicki. The team won the Big 8 co-championship that fall. Eric became the head coach at his alma mater, Union City HS, in the fall of 1978. There, he has been the head coach for the past 28 years. The Chargers have won 11 Big 8 championships during his reign. The team’s consistent competitiveness is one of the things Coach T is proudest of. The team has had only two losing seasons (both 4-5 records) while compiling an overall record of 188-79 in that 28-year period. The Chargers have made the playoffs 9 times, but have yet to advance past the Regional Finals. Eric has been named Regional Coach of the Year seven times while at UCHS, but attributes his success to factors other than himself. “I have had many great players over the years, lots of all conference players and MVP’s. The coach always looks good with great players. I have also had great assistant coaches over the years, (Vern, Troy, Denny, John, Ryan, Rob, Bruce, & Joe to name a few) including volunteer assistants. I think it is a good time to acknowledge their efforts and thank them.”
Eric’s family has also made their share of sacrifices so he could coach. Ryan, 31, Jason, 21, Erin, 19, stepson Dustin, 22, and Pamela, his wife, have been major supporters at home. “It is certainly a great privilege to be able to have an opportunity to coach in the high school All Star game. Coaching football has been a great part of my life, and I thank God for the blessings He has bestowed on me and my family.”