| Rome Rankin | |
| Birth Date: | 28 March 1909 |
| Birth Place: | Richmond, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Leesburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Player Sport1: | Football |
| Player Years2: | 1930–1931 |
| Player Team2: | Michigan |
| Player Positions: | Tackle |
| Coach Sport1: | Football |
| Coach Years2: | 1932–1946 |
| Coach Team2: | Eastern Kentucky (line) |
| Coach Years3: | 1947–1953 |
| Coach Team3: | Eastern Kentucky |
| Coach Sport4: | Track and field |
| Coach Years5: | 1935–1946 |
| Coach Team5: | Eastern Kentucky |
| Overall Record: | 41–24–2 (football) |
Thomas Curtis Samuels (March 28, 1909 – November 4, 1996) was an American college football player and coach, track coach, and pharmacist. He served as the head football coach at Eastern Kentucky State College—now known as Eastern Kentucky University–from 1947 to 1953, compiling a record of 41–24–2. Samuels was also the head track coach at Eastern Kentucky from 1935 to 1946. He left coaching in 1953 to go into the pharmaceutical business in Orlando, Florida.
Samuels was born and raised in Richmond, Kentucky, where he attended Madison High School. He moved to Canton, Ohio, where he attended Canton McKinley High School. Samuels played college football at the University of Michigan, lettering as a tackle in 1930 and 1931.[1]
After graduating from Michigan in 1932 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, Samuels began his coaching career that fall as an assistant football coach Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College under head coach Turkey Hughes.[1] Samuels succeeded Rome Rankin as head football coach at Eastern Kentucky in 1947.[2] He resigned after the 1953 season to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals in Orlando, Florida.[3]
in 1953, Samuels bought an interest in Angebilt Pharmacy in Orlando, bringing him into partnership with Mrs. Maynard Evans and Dick Webb.[4] He owned the Angebilt Pharmacy until 1962, when he moved his prescription business to Eckerd Drugs.[5]
The Tom C. Samuels track at Eastern Kentucky is named for Samuels and was dedicated to him in 1976.[6] Samuels died on November 4, 1996, at Leesburg Regional Medical Center in Leesburg, Florida.[7]