Alpha Tau Omega: A Legacy of Brotherhood, Leadership, and Achievement

Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) is a prominent American social fraternity, founded in 1865 at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Rooted in the aftermath of the Civil War, ATO distinguished itself as a fraternity built on the ideals of reconciliation and brotherhood, aiming to unite men from different backgrounds in a bond of mutual respect and support. Its legacy is reflected in the accomplishments of its diverse alumni, who have made significant contributions across various fields. Alpha Tau Omega holds before the young men of the country an ideal and something greater than a mere intellectual ideal. Alpha Tau Omega stands for heart as well as head.

The Essence of Alpha Tau Omega

Alpha Tau Omega is a fraternity that prides itself in its brotherhood, involvement, and charitable contributions. As a chapter we strive to create a familiar bond between all of our members. We do this through our regular brotherhood events, ranging from sporting tournaments to community cleanup events. Another aspect we pride ourselves in is being very involved around campus, currently and in the past. As a group our chapter strives to always put others ahead of themselves and always show Love and Respect to everyone we encounter no matter the arena.

Core Values

The fraternity's emphasis on brotherhood, leadership, and community service has cultivated a strong sense of responsibility among its members. Alpha Tau Omega is committed to developing well-rounded individuals who excel not only academically but also as leaders and engaged citizens.

Local Chapters and Their Impact

Many chapters of Alpha Tau Omega actively participate in philanthropic endeavors, contributing to their local communities and beyond. For example, the chapter at one university organizes an Advent Health Orlando Casino Night, started in the fall of 2022 when a brother of ours was diagnosed with cancer. We took this as an opportunity to raise money for Advent Health Orlando’s cancer research department. In the past two years we have raised upwards of $150,000 dollars for Advent Health Orlando through our philanthropy.

Notable Alumni in Athletics

Alpha Tau Omega boasts a remarkable array of alumni who have achieved prominence in the world of sports, both on and off the field.

Football Legends

Steve Spurrier: College Football Hall of Famer and 1966 Heisman Trophy winner. A two-time All-American quarterback, he passed for 4,848 career yards and 36 TDs before a 10 year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers (1967-75) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976).
Len Dawson: Pro Football Hall of Famer and 1956 All-American quarterback. Played 19 NFL-AFL seasons (1957-75), primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs. He threw for 28,711 career yards with 239 TDs and was 1962 AFL Player of the Year and 1973 NFL Man of the Year. He was an All-AFL first teamer in 1962-66 and All-AFL second teamer in 1964-68.
Tommy Townsend: Super Bowl champion punter. American football punter for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He played college football at Tennessee and Florida and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Baseball Stars

Tommy Herr: (Delaware, 1974), professional baseball player with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Other Sports Figures

Derek Miles: Olympic bronze medalist.

Notable Alumni in Broadcasting and Media

Alpha Tau Omega's influence extends to the realm of broadcasting and media, with alumni making significant contributions as commentators, executives, and personalities.

Keith Jackson: American Sports Broadcasters Assn. Hall of Famer who started at stations in Seattle and Los Angeles before joining ABC-TV. The first play-by-play voice on “ABC’s Monday Night Football”, he also covered the World Series, was on “Monday Night Baseball” (1976-83) and has specialized in college football for two decades.

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Dick Enberg: Sports broadcaster who won sports Emmys in both 1995 and 1997 in the Outstanding Sports Personality-Host/Play-by-Play category. He was inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame in 1994. Best known for his ABC-TV college football broadcasts, he also did numerous events for “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” and “Monday Night Baseball” (1976-83).
Art Linkletter: Television personality whose “Art Linkletter’s House Party” ran on CBS-TV for near 20 years (1952-69). He also hosted “People Are Funny” on NBC-TV (1954-61), “Haggis Baggis” (1958-59), “The Art Linkletter Show” (1963) and “Art Linkletter’s Hollywood Talent Scouts” (1966-66).
Bryant Gumbel: TV newscaster/host who earned Emmys in 1992-93-94 while with ABC-TV’s “Day One” and “Nightline”. After starting in radio, he moved into television with the Atlanta CBS affiliate (1980-85) then took over as anchorman on “The CBS Morning News” from 1985 to 1987.

Media Executives and Producers

Marshall, Frank: Film producer/director who has worked on many of Hollywood’s biggest films since 1973. His most recent films as producer are “The Sixth Sense” and “Snow Falling on Cedars”. Starting as location manager or associate producer on such films as “The Last Picture Show”, “Paper Moon” and “What’s Up Doc?”, he next worked on “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” and received producing credits on the “Indiana Jones” trilogy, the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “The Color Purple” (Best Picture nominee), “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, “Empire of the Sun” and “Poltergeist”. He made his directorial debut in 1990 with “Arachnophobia” and formed the Kennedy/Marshall Company (with his wife Kathleen Kennedy) in 1991.
Tom Werner: Producer, director, writer and actor over five decades. Starting as an episode writer for Lucille Ball, Danny Thomas and Dick Van Dyke, he then created, produced and directed successful ABC-TV shows “The Odd Couple”, “The Brian Keith Show”, “Happy Days”, “Lavern and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy”. His shows were nominated for 16 Emmys and nine Golden Globe Awards. In the last two decades, he was director and executive producer of “Runaway Bride”, “The Other Sister”, “Dear God”, “Pretty Woman”, “Beaches”, “Nothing in Common”, “Frankie and Johnny” and “The Flamingo Kid”, among others. His acting roles include “Murphy Brown” plus films “A League of Their Own” and “Soap Dish”.

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Alumni in Politics and Public Service

Alpha Tau Omega has a strong representation in the realm of politics and public service, with alumni serving in various capacities at the local, state, and national levels.

Stephen C. O’Connell: Past President | University of Florida.
Thomas Gordon Hayes: (VMI 1866): Maryland Senate, Mayor of Baltimore, and U. S.
Alan K. Simpson: Senator from 1979-97. Appointed Assistant Majority Leader in 1985. Republican whip from 1985-95. Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (One Hundred Fourth Congress). Assistant attorney general of Wyoming from 1958-59.
Lawton Chiles: Governor of Florida from 1990-98. Senator from 1971-89. Member of the Florida State senate from 1966-1970. Florida Law Revision Committee from 1968-70. Florida House of Representatives from 1958-66.
Milward Simpson: Senator from 1962-67. Wyoming Governor from 1955-59.
Lee H. Hamilton: Representative from 1965-99. Legislative Assistant and Council to Senator Milward L. Simpson from 1962-66. Chamber of Commerce. First Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Department of the Interior from 1969-75.
Robert L. Owen: The first Senator from Oklahoma from 1907-25. Of Cherokee descent, served as an Indian agent before the Indian Territory achieved statehood. Chairman, Committee on Indian Depredations (Sixty-second Congress), Committee on the Mississippi River and Its Tributaries (Sixty-second Congress), Committee on Pacific Railroads (Sixty-second Congress), Committee on Banking and Currency (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses), Committee on the Five Civilized Tribes (Sixty-sixth Congress.
Spessard L. Holland: Senator from 1963-77. Governor of Florida from 1941-45. Distinguished Service Cross (World War I).
Dwight P. Griswold: Senator from 1952-54. Governor of Nebraska from 1940-46. Director, Division of Internal Affairs and Communications, Military Government of Germany 1947.
Richard Bryan: Senator from 1989 to present. Governor of Nevada from 1983-89. Attorney General of Nevada 1978-83. Member of the Nevada Senate from 1972-78.
Roy M. Huffington: Ambassador to Austria from 1990-93). Winner of the Ambassador of the Year in 1992 from the Diplomatic Club of Vienna.
Clarence D. Long: Representative from 1963-85. Associate task force director of the first Hoover Commission in 1948. Senior staff member of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President in 1953-54 and 1956-57. Acting chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland in 1961-62.

Alumni in Arts and Entertainment

Alpha Tau Omega also has a notable presence in the arts and entertainment industry, with alumni making their mark as actors, writers, and performers.

Tennessee Williams: Playwright and novelist who had many of his best-known works produced on stage, television and film. His first Broadway play (later a film) was “The Glass Menagerie” in 1945, followed by Pulitzer Prize winners “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1948) and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1955). Other well-known films based on his novels included “The Rose Tattoo”, “This Property is Condemned”, “Baby Doll”, “Suddenly Last Summer”, “The Fugitive Kind”, “Summer and Smoke”, “The Roman Spring of Mrs.
Adam Schroeder: Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated screenwriter for his 1979 screenplay “The China Syndrome”. He also received a 1996 Emmy nomination (Outstanding Writing in Mini Series or Special) for HBO’s “Tuskegee Airmen”.
Jack Larson: Actor who first gained fame on Broadway in 1937’s “Golden Boy”.
Guy Fieri: TV Personality, host of Minute to Win It, and Winner of the second season of The Next Food Network Star. Fieri now has multiple shows on the Food Network, including Guy’s Big Bite; Diners, Drive-ins and Dives; and Guy’s Grocery Games.

Alumni in Business and Entrepreneurship

Alpha Tau Omega's alumni have also excelled in the world of business and entrepreneurship, demonstrating leadership and innovation across various industries.

Lewis E. Platt: Former President, CEO (1992-98) and Chairman (1993-1999) of Hewlett-Packard Company. Advisory Committee on Trade Policy Negotiations and Chairman of the World Trade Organization Task Force. Member of The Business Council and The Business Roundtable. American Electronics Association Meda…
Red McCombs: Owner of the Minnesota Vikings National Football League professional football team. Owner of the San Antonio Spurs National Basketball Association professional basketball team. General Manager, Partner, and Sole Owner of Red McCombs Ford. Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame with its Distinguished Service Citation.

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