Thomas “Tootz” Kulik was a graduate of Bethel Park High School in Pittsburgh, where he distinguished himself as an outstanding soccer player. He attended Slippery Rock from 1977-81. A standout on the soccer team, he earned four varsity letters and was a three-year starter.
Tootz played predominantly outside and central midfield while occasionally lining up at outside forward. He co-captained the Rock team with Brian Kosa his senior year. Teams Tootz played on amassed an impressive combined record of 39-16-7 (.685).
A dynamic distributor, Tootz still ranks third at Slippery Rock in career assists with 29. His 11 assists in 1980 are the eighth most in a single-season in program history.
He was also named to the Carnegie Mellon All-Star team at the school’s annual indoor tournament in 1980.
Prior to his untimely passing in 2014, Tootz was instrumental in getting the Slippery Rock soccer alumni together over the last seven years at indoor tournaments in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Slippery Rock. These events encouraged more than 400 men’s soccer alumni to return to The Rock and provided additional financial support to Slippery Rock’s soccer programs.
He was also instrumental in the organization of last year’s alumni weekend and tournament at SRU, which was named in his honor.
Professionally, Tootz pursued a career in the coatings industry. He worked over 18 years for Porter Paints / PGP Coatings, the construction industry’s premier coatings manufacturer. Recognized by his peers as an expert in paint and coatings, Tootz served The Construction Specifications Institute for more than 15 years with his technical knowledge.
Tootz will always be remembered for his dry wit that let you know he loved The Rock and those who he encountered while leading the alumni events.
