Tributes have been paid to much-loved football coach and Daily Record sales manager Tom Heffernan.
Tom, who passed away suddenly last week, was known to many for his work with successful boys club Holytown Colts. He was also a central figure on the Scottish Mixed Martial Arts scene, writing about the sport in the Daily Record, where he was sales manager for many years.
Tom, who was 45 when he passed away on Friday, left an indelible mark on the 2007 team he’d coached for ten years. Tom’s wife Lesley said she was overwhelmed at the messages of support she has received since Friday.
Lesley, a school deputy head teacher, said: “We are very much in a state of shock but the amount of messages of support we’ve had has been unbelievable. I have had coaches from so many other teams getting in touch, all telling me what a great person Tom was and what a commitment he made to his boys.
“He was a great dad and husband, the most committed family man you could imagine and he really did go out if his way to inspire the young boys at the Colts. They were his ‘other boys’ and he was really proud of them.”
Lesley, from Motherwell, told how son Mark, 13, bravely decided go ahead with a grading for Taekwondo on Sunday, two days after his dad’s passing. Lesley said: “Mark was so brave but he said he wanted to do it for his dad and I know that Tom would have been so proud of him. That was the spirit that he instilled in his boys.”
Tom decided to stay on as coach at Holytown despite his older son, Ryan, 16, moving on to pro-youth football then signing for Stirling Albion. Lesley said: “He was totally committed and looked on the team as his other family. I know the boys are really upset right now.”
Lesley said she had been gratified also that Tom was given a rousing minute’s applause at an MMA event in Stirling at the weekend.
A similar was made at the grounds of several grassroots teams as the sad news of Tom's death reached other clubs.
Tom worked for the Daily Record for more than 20 years and was a highly regarded colleague.
David Dick, Editor in Chief, Reach (Scotland), said: “Tom was a hugely popular member of our team and after many years with the company his loss is being felt across all corners of our business, from his colleagues in newspaper sales, to the editorial and commercial teams in Scotland and the wider Reach group.
“We are all struggling to come to terms with how such a fit and healthy man could be lost to us in the prime of his life. Our hearts go out to his wife, his two boys and the wider family.
“He was a great friend and colleague and will be missed by all of us."
On Facebook, a spokesperson for Holytown Colts said: “Tom was a gentleman and an all round good guy and we could all learn something from the way he coached.”
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