Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Tormey grew up in Spokane, Washington, where he played high school football at Gonzaga Prep under longtime head coach Bill Frazier (1908–2000).
Tormey had a brief stop with the Washington Redskins of the NFL in July 1978,[16][17] then began his coaching career as a high school assistant back at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane,[18] where he also taught geography.
After two years on the Palouse, Tormey returned to the Huskies in Seattle for eleven seasons, 1984–94, coaching tight ends, linebackers, and the secondary for Don James and Jim Lambright.
[19] Following the 1994 season, John L. Smith left Idaho and Tormey returned to Moscow to succeed him as head coach.
The bowl victory propelled Idaho to an impressive 9–3 record in 1998, their third season back in Division I-A, and Tormey was named coach of the year in the Big West.
[29] It was Idaho's first football victory in the Battle of the Palouse in 34 years, breaking the Cougars' 14-game winning streak in the lopsided series.
[31] Following the 1999 season, Tormey moved south to Reno to coach the Nevada Wolf Pack,[31] which was leaving the Big West to join the WAC.
Nevada's athletic director Chris Ault hired himself to succeed Tormey; his third stint as head coach of the Wolf Pack went for nine years, through 2012, for a total of 28 seasons.
[1] In January 2015, the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League announced the hiring of Tormey as linebackers coach.
Tormey replaced Greg Quick, who left to become defensive coordinator at Saskatchewan, and served under head coaches Tom Higgins and Jim Popp.