Tommy Tice graduated from Huntsville High School in 1969, earned his BS degree at the University of Arkansas in 1973, and earned his MSE at the University of Arkansas in 1986. He spent 45 years coaching football, basketball, track and baseball in Arkansas. He was selected to the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. He spent 29 years at Harrison, Arkansas, as head football coach and athletic director and 5 years in that role at Huntsville, Arkansas.

During his tenure as athletic director, Harrison and Huntsville won numerous state, regional and conference championships in both boys and girls sports. He oversaw the construction of new venues in the sports of Basketball, Baseball, Football, Softball, Soccer, Track and Volleyball. In 2006, he was instrumental in helping raise 7.5 million dollars from the private sector to fund the new stadium complex at Harrison. Tice has been a member of the AHSAAA and NIAAA for over 30 years. During that time, he has authored handbooks for parents, student-athletes and coaches.

Tice was selected as Arkansas’ Athletic Director of the Year in 1993, the Southern Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 1993 and in the national competition for Athletic Director of the Year, he was the runner-up in 1993.Tice has served on numerous boards that support athletic endeavors. Those include the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, the Terry L. Gilliam Foundation and the Brandon Burlsworth National Walk-on Selection Committee. His football teams won 13 conference championships, participated in 19 play-off appearances, advanced to the state semi-finals six times, won the 1999 State Championship and posted 4 undefeated regular seasons – 1981,1989,1999 & 2003. His overall record of 288-160-6 ranks third on the all-time win list for football. He coached in 454 games as a head coach – a state record. He was voted Conference Coach of the Year 13 times and received the prestigious Lowell Manning Award as the state’s outstanding coach in all athletics twice – 1992 & 1999. In 1999, he was named as the state’s outstanding football coach by the NHSCA and the National Football Foundation/College Hall of Fame. He was selected by his peers 6 times to be the head coach of the AHSCA West All-Star Team – a state record. He is a member of three different halls of fame and has been nominated to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.Tice’s coaching tree has many branches. 21 former assistant coaches have gone on to become head football coaches, 7 have become athletic directors and 4 have become superintendent of schools.

Tommy and his wife, JoAnn, live in Huntsville. They have three children, Tricia, Tara and Matt. Tricia and husband, Crawford Murray, live in Bentonville. Tara lives in Harrison. Matt and wife, Tiffany, live in Harrison. Tommy and JoAnn have 7 grandchildren, Cole, Carter, Cade, Katie, Tate, Mattie and Tucker.