skip navigation

William Thayer Tutt

BIRTHPLACE: Coronado, Calif.

BORN: March 2, 1912

DIED: March 24, 1989

TEAMS/ASSOCIATIONS: International Ice Hockey Federation

 

Bio

William Thayer Tutt of Colorado Springs, Colorado last served as president of the El Pomar Foundation and the Broadmoor Hotel, Inc. and its related companies. It was serving in these capacities that Tutt exercised his administrative abilities in hockey.

During the 1948 college season, a group of coaches, including Vic Heyliger, then of Michigan, approached Tutt concerning the sponsorship of a National College Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey tournament. Tutt agreed to provide his backing, and thus college hockey was launched as a truly national sport. The tournament was held at the Broadmoor Hotel from 1948 through 1957, returning there in 1969 for a one-year stand. Since 1958, the tournament has been moved around the country to various college hockey hotbeds.

Thayer Tutt is generally regarded as the “Father of the NCAA Hockey Tournament” for his pioneering work for the college game. Turning his attention to international hockey Tutt was also a member or President  of the United States International Ice Hockey Federation since 1959. This period was characterized by the increasing visibility of the international game, which was brought to a dramatic forefront by the Russia-Team Canada series in September 1972.

Long interested in youth hockey in this country, Tutt succeeded his long time friend, Tom Lockhart, also a United States Hockey Hall of Fame enshrine, as President of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States in June 1972. Tutt went on to serve as the North American Vice President of the Internatinal Ice hockey Federation and also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee. In addition, he was also involved with the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, golf, and figure skating.