Milton Academy coach, Tom Flaherty, received the Contribution to Amateur Football Award from The Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, at the foundation's annual Scholar-Athlete Award dinner May 13.

Founded in 1974, this annual award provides national recognition to an individual whose local efforts and activities support of the Foundation and its goals.

Tom's love of and dedication to the game of football began when he first strapped on a helmet at the age of 12. Following a successful high school and college playing career, Tom took a job as an assistant football coach at Salem High School, before heading to Pentucket Regional High School where he spent 20 years as head coach. In 1982, Tom arrived at Milton Academy and led the varsity football team for 10 years; Tom is now the assistant coach to Milton's varsity team.

In addition to coaching and his duties as dorm head to 47 boys in Wolcott house, Tom helped organize and coordinate a number of eastern Massachusetts football organizations. He was director of the Cape Ann League; I.S.L. representative to the state coaches association; president of the state football coaches association; and director of the I.S.L. Football Coaches.

A 1997 inductee into the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, Tom founded the New England Private School Football Coaches Association, and has been director of the annual football clinic at Northeastern University since 1994.