Thomas N. Nugent (February 24, 1913 – January 19, 2006) was an American college football coach and innovator, sportscaster, public relations man.

Nugent, a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts, attended Ithaca College in upstate New York, where he played baseball, basketball, football, and track, and earned ten varsity letters.

[2] During World War II, Nugent served in the United States Army Air Corps and attained the rank of captain.

[4] To counteract William & Mary's large defensive line and linebacker corps, Nugent began developing the I formation, which he debuted the following year in 1950.

[4] Nugent began giving coaching clinics on the I formation, and in 1961, John McKay replaced his pro T with the I at Southern California.

[8] In 1954, Florida State finished with an 8–3 record and earned an invitation to the 1955 Sun Bowl, the school's first postseason game on New Year's Day.

[1] During his last season at FSU in 1958, Nugent led the Seminoles to a 7–3 record and earned an invitation to play Oklahoma State in the 1958 Bluegrass Bowl, where they were defeated, 15–6.

[1] Setting up the match-up required years of haggling and negotiations between the schools and with his counterpart, Florida athletic director and head coach Bob Woodruff, about whom Nugent said, "It seems he wants us to promise everything but lose the game.

"[8] During his tenure at Florida State, Nugent served as athletic director and coached ESPN analyst Lee Corso and actor Burt Reynolds.

[11] In 1961, Nugent's Maryland team became the first college football program in the nation to put players' names on the back of their jerseys.

Hill became not only the first African-American football player at Maryland but the first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and at any college or university in "the old South."