Tom Tumulty was born and raised in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. Tom attended Penn Hills Sr. High School where he was named to the All-American teams of Parade and Super-Prep magazines, as well as USA Today. Tumulty then attended the University of Pittsburgh where he left as the school's number three all-time leading tackler with 404. The emotional leader was named a Sophomore All-American in 1993 by Football News and First-Team All-Big East as a senior. He also was a finalist for the Butkus Award (awarded annually to the nation's top linebacker). Tom was a sixth-round draft pick (178th Overall) of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996 and moved into the starting role in 1997. Known as an exceptional run defender, Tumulty was the Bengal's leading tackler in 1997 before suffering a career-ending knee injury in the third game. Since his official retirement in May of 2000, Tumulty has promised to work with The ARO Foundation as one of its Athlete Ambassadors.