This year Curry College celebrated its fourth consecutive NEFC Championship.  Many people do not realize, however, that this accomplishment is not the beginning of a fine football tradition at Curry but rather the continuation of a fine football tradition.  That tradition began in 1970 when Curry won its first NEFC Championship.  They would go on to win it again in 1971 and narrowly missed a three-peat in 1972.  A big part of those celebrated teams was co-captain Thomas Rollins.

Tom came to Curry College as a sophomore transfer from the United States Naval Academy where he was recruited to play football.  As is the case with so many talented athletes, Division 1 Athletics was just not for him.  Playing against nationally ranked teams like Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan and Penn State left the smaller Naval Academy Midshipmen battered and bruised.  Having grown up in Concord, NH and having attended Bridgton Academy in Maine, Tom made his way back to New England and a place where he could receive individualized classroom attention and enjoy playing football again: Curry College.

While at Curry, Tom stood out as a leader on and off the field.  His grades soared and he graduated cum laude in 1973 after being named to the list of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and to the list of Outstanding College Athletes of America.  He was named recipient of the President Hafer Award his junior and senior years for his embodiment of an outstanding student athlete.  As co-captain of the Colonel football team, he led the way to back-to-back conference championships while being named an All-Conference Defensive End both of those seasons. 

During the summer between his junior and senior years, Tom attended Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, became a member of the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class and paved the way to being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon his graduation.  This began a 28-year career as a Marine aviator which saw him hold positions such as Commanding Officer, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161, Commanding Officer of the Los Angeles Military Entrance Processing Station and Aviation Combat Element Commander of a special operation, Marine Expeditionary Unit.  He also served as Executive Officer of the largest aviation training group in the Marine Corps and Operations Officer of the largest pilot training air wing in the Navy.  Among his numerous accomplishments, Tom has served as a certified flight instructor for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, is airborne qualified and has been awarded 28 medals, unit awards and campaign ribbons.  A Desert Storm veteran, Tom has served his country all over the globe with distinction. 

Education continued to be a priority after graduating from Curry. Tom earned Master of Public Administration from California State University at Fullerton as well as attended numerous professional development programs.  He taught post-graduate Professional Military Education courses to Marine Corps flight instructors and students at The Marine Corps University in Pensacola, Florida and Kinesiology courses at California State University at Fullerton.

Today Tom is serving as the Senior Program Manager on the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) Program for a subcontractor of Northrop Grumman Corporation.  The F-35 is a stealth, supersonic jet that can take off and land vertically and will become the preeminent fighter in the United States arsenal in every branch of service.  Tom currently lives in Laguna Niguel, California.