Tom Baugh

Lore & Background

Tom Baugh played college football for the Southern Illinois Salukis, where he was a key member of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA national football championship squad. He served as captain of the 1985 team and played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Blue–Gray Football Classic. Drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, he played center for three seasons before finishing his playing career in 1989 with the Cleveland Browns. After his NFL career, Baugh was called by former Chiefs coach Frank Ganz Sr. in 1990 to play for the Detroit Lions, but suffered a concussion during a preseason game and was released; concussion-related issues lingered in his life beyond his playing days.

Baugh has been active in NFL player advocacy, serving as membership director and treasurer of the Kansas City Chapter of the NFL Alumni Association, and later as Secretary/Treasurer of the national association. He resigned from his post as Retiree Advocacy Director alongside Carl Mauck and David Carter following a questionable reorganization and the league's renewal of the Logo Trust Agreement. He also taught automotive technology at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, and coached track and field shot put and discus, but was released in 1998 over a disagreement about student opportunities.

Baugh resides in Lone Jack, Missouri, where he was elected to the Lone Jack C-6 School Board. He is an FCC-licensed amateur radio operator (AE9B) using all modes including Morse code, and volunteers at Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and Children's Mercy Hospital. He is president of KC Constructors, Inc., an award-winning construction business that has been a member of the Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce from 2012 through 2024.

Reader's Guide

Tom Baugh's significance lies in his dual career as an NFL player and his later community and advocacy work. As a center for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, he was part of the 1983 national championship Southern Illinois Salukis team and was drafted in the fourth round. His post-football life includes leadership roles in the NFL Alumni Association, where he served as a board member and secretary/treasurer, and his resignation as Retiree Advocacy Director over organizational disputes highlights ongoing tensions in player advocacy. Baugh's amateur radio operation (AE9B) and membership in the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network connect him to emergency communications. His election to the Lone Jack C-6 School Board and volunteer work at hospitals demonstrate local civic engagement. His construction business, KC Constructors, has been recognized by the Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce for over a decade. Baugh's induction into the SIU Saluki Hall of Fame in 2002 and again in 2023, along with his selection to the All-Century Team in 2013, underscore his collegiate athletic legacy. His teaching career at York Community High School, though ended by a dispute over student work arrangements, reflects an effort to provide practical automotive training.