Meg Geoghegan
Aram Boghosian
Harvard coach Tommy Amaker knows quality on
and off the basketball court
As the team doctor for the Duke University men’s basketball
team, Mel Berlin talked mostly about sore muscles and sprained
ankles with members of the Blue Devils.
But Tommy Amaker had something else on his mind.
Whenever Dr. Berlin showed up at practice, Amaker, the 6-foot
1-inch star point guard from Falls Church, Virginia, a future
Duke Hall of Famer, All American, and National Defensive Player
of the Year, would make a beeline out of the training room to
check out the 1971 Mercedes 280SE 3.5 parked outside. The
coupe was a beauty and had been previously owned by pop and
country singer, Patti Page.
“I actually told him my freshman year, ‘I’m going to buy that car
from you,’” Amaker said.
Five years later, Amaker was fresh out of college, 108 career
wins at Duke and a national runner-up finish in 1986 under his
belt. Aiming for a career in basketball, he was working as a
graduate assistant on the coaching staff when Dr. Berlin called
his former player to see if he wanted to make good on the
promise.
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“He said, ‘I only want this car to be with someone I know who
loves it. If you want this car, come over here and I’ll give you a
great deal,’” Amaker recalled.
Amaker has been been admiring, collecting, and driving
Mercedes-Benz automobiles ever since.
In his blood
Today, Tommy Amaker is the head coach of the men’s
basketball team at Harvard University, an Executive Fellow at
the Harvard Business School, and a Special Assistant to the
Harvard President. He’s come a long way from his 20-something
days, working long hours on the sideline and scraping together
savings to buy his dream car, but the enthusiasm he felt for
Mercedes-Benz back then hasn’t waned.
It’s a part of who he is.
He bought the 280SE 3.5 in 1989, a milestone in what has been
a truly lifelong love for the marque from Stuttgart. When his
father, Harold, left military service, he worked at a Mercedes
dealership in Bethesda, Maryland. His dad’s personal passion for
cars fueled his career in the industry – and it rubbed off on his
son.
“I do get it honestly in that regard,” Amaker said. “I always
fancied myself as knowing a little bit about cars, but all that
came through him.”
Harold was a Jaguar guy, personally, and owned an XKE, but
when he brought a young Amaker to the lot, it was the
Mercedes-Benz models that captured the son’s attention. Still,
when Berlin made the offer to sell the 3.5, Amaker knew he
needed to get his father’s opinion. He asked if he could test
drive the car for the weekend before making a final decision.
Unbeknownst to Berlin, he drove the car four hours to
Washington, D.C. to show his parents.
It was a memorable weekend across the board. Harold gave his
stamp of approval on the 3.5 as a worthy investment, and
Amaker’s mother, Alma, gave her stamp of approval on
Amaker’s girlfriend at the time: Stephanie, now his wife of 28
years.
"My mother loves cars, but meeting Stephanie was such a
moment, for sure,” he said, laughing at the memory of that first
meeting – the first of many such special occasions over the
years involving his cars.
Double trouble
When Amaker bought the 3.5, it was silver gray with a black
interior. The vehicle drove like a dream, but Amaker had
something else in mind when it came to the look of the car. To
make the 280SE his true dream car, Amaker brought it to a
restoration specialist in Durham, North Carolina, who took a
great car and customized it to perfection, updating it with a
tobacco exterior and Palomino leather interior.
In 1997, Amaker left North Carolina for the head coaching job at
Seton Hall University in New Jersey, his first head- coaching gig.
A few years later, following an NCAA Sweet-Sixteen appearance
at Seton Hall, he took over the men’s basketball program at the
University of Michigan. The storied sports history in Ann Arbor
includes the 1989 NCAA men’s basketball national
championship.
And there’s a bit of a storied automotive history nearby. “The
car world at one point revolved around Detroit so that was
pretty neat,” he said.
Amaker has an eye for quality – on and off the court. He would
occasionally bring the 280SE 3.5 to car shows in Michigan. Soon
he had the itch to add to his collection. He began researching
interesting post-war Mercedes-Benz models; time and again, he
kept coming back to the 280SL. With its powerful engine, classic
look, and roadster appeal, Amaker knew it would be the perfect
addition to his garage. He found a 1970 European model
painted in light ivory with a bamboo interior, and soon Amaker
was dividing his driving time between the two classics.
“I just love the look of the roadster. It has a great history behind
it. It’s a really fun car to drive,” he said.
In 2007, Amaker headed back east to take the head coaching
job at Harvard, which has proved a strong match for both. He
has taken the basketball program to unprecedented heights,
racking up Harvard's first and now seven Ivy League
championships, making four NCAA tournament appearances,
and earning three NIT berths.
But lately, it’s Amaker’s work off the court that has been
making headlines. For the past 13 years, his program
philosophy has been “Teach. Lead. Serve,” and he has devoted
as much time and energy to developing his athletes into future
leaders as he has to building their basketball prowess. He
launched a Breakfast Club initiative with renowned Harvard Law
Professor Charles Ogletree where student athletes get to meet
notable business leaders and social activists like Massachusetts
Governor Charlie Baker, former U.S. Education Secretary Arne
Duncan, and basketball legend and social justice champion
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“I believe coaches should be teachers and educators first. I
have a responsibility and obligation to see my players as future
leaders, so if I’m doing my job, they’re going to be developing
and learning and growing beyond the 94 by 50 [feet of a
basketball court],” Amaker said.
That approach landed him a leadership role as a Board member
for the National Association of Basketball Coaches, where he co-
chairs the Committee on Racial Reconciliation. He’s also a force
behind the recently launched John McLendon Minority
Leadership Initiative, which is designed to give young people of
color more opportunities to work in athletic departments
throughout the higher education landscape.
The initiative, and Amaker’s leadership as a coach and educator
who prioritizes social justice at a critical time in America, has
kept him busy. Too busy to spend much time at car shows, but
not too busy to enjoy his collection.
“The SL is a head turner. The 3.5 is a showstopper,” he said. “I
enjoy cruising, not trying to feel like I’m on a racetrack. The true
joy is driving them.”
The cars are also great conversation starters. Though Amaker
opts for a practical Mercedes GLE SUV or his wife’s C300 for
driving in Cambridge during the school year, his summer home
on Cape Cod is the perfect backdrop for the classics. When
they’re not in the garage, surrounded by Mercedes-Benz posters
and memorabilia, they’re out on coastal New England roads,
eliciting honks, waves, and questions from other drivers.
Questions that Amaker is more than happy to provide answers
for. “It’s a lot of fun – people love the cars and so do I. I’m just a
big fan of the Mercedes-Benz brand and products,” he said.
On the road again
Amaker shows no signs of slowing down. Many years of
coaching still lie ahead, but that doesn’t stop him daydreaming
about the role Mercedes-Benz will play in his life once he leaves
the sideline. He’s a proud member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of
America and loves researching different models. Both the iconic
300SL Gullwing and the 300SL roadster are on his ultimate wish
list. "The Gullwing is one of the more famous cars of all time.
The SL roadster is very glamorous – it was a Hollywood car,” he
says.
Amaker also wants to take part in more car shows and
Mercedes-Benz events, and has always wanted to visit the
Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
Who knows, he says, maybe he’ll even riff off Jerry Seinfeld’s
web series, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” with Coaches in
Cars, or take on an ownership role at a Mercedes-Benz
dealership like his football counterpart, University of Alabama
coach Nick Saban. Most people know him as a basketball player
and coach, so Amaker would love for them to get to know some
of his personal pursuits, especially his passion for cars.
The possibilities are endless. But one thing Amaker can say
without hesitation is that he has no plans to sell his prize
automobiles. He’s been approached before, but he’s never
entertained the question. He couldn’t part with his cars.
“To me, it’s everything about Mercedes-Benz – it's their history,
the star, its elegance, even the name itself. Mercedes-Benz has
always exuded elegance, luxury, and quality, and that
resonates with me,” Amaker said. “I view them as artwork, and
like a piece of art, it’s the value you place on it that matters
most.”
As far as Tommy Amaker is concerned, his Mercedes-Benz cars
are priceless.














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