Tony Lombardi brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to the Blue Devil football staff and in his second season in Menmonie work with the defensive backs. Lombardi came to Stout in 2016.

Lombardi has coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and II levels, as well as coaching in the professional ranks. In addition, he has an 83-30 overall record as a head coach at the high school level, with stints in Illinois and Iowa.

Lombardi most recently was the head football coach at George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Lombardi led the program to a 52-23 overall record from 2006-12, earning the state's No. 1 ranking twice during his tenure, setting George Washington as one fo the top football programs in Iowa.. The team advanced to the state quarterfinal and semi-final playoffs.

In the state of Illinois, Lombardi forged a 30-7 record over three seasons from 2003-05, leading Hinsdale Central twice to the state quarterfinals and once to the semi-finals. Lombardi's first head coaching job came at Homewood Flosmoor where he led the team to a playoff berth in his first season, the school's first playoff berth in seven seasons.

Experience on the professional level came Lombardi's way with a stint as the defensive coordinator with the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL during the spring of 2001. During the team's brief history, the Enforcers led the team in turnovers caused and interceptions, put up the longest winning streak in XFL history and finished second in the league. Nine players from the team went on to play in the NFL.

After earning four letters at Arizona State University, playing with the Canadian Football League's Montreal franchise and spending the summer in the Chicago Bears' training camp - the season the Bears went to the Super Bowl -  Lombardi first cut his coaching teeth as a defensive coordinator with a pair of high school teams in Illinois and Arizona.

Lombardi returned to the midwest to earn his masters at the University of Wisconsin and worked three years (1986, 87, 88) with the Badgers' football program, working with the defensive backs, the linebackers and running backs, and was the freshman team coach.

Lombardi was at Minnesota State, Mankato, from 1989-97, working with the defensive backs and as the defensive coordinator. Three-times, the Mavericks led the nation in rushing and passing defense (1989, 90, 94). He coached five All-Americans and 20 all-conference players.

He moved on to Eastern Michigan University from 1998-2001 where he worked as the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator. He served as the interim head coach for the final home game of the 2000 season.

Coaching runs through the Lombardi family tree. His maternal grandfather, Walter Hass, coached football at Carleton College and the University of Chicago. His father, Bob Lombardi, coached at Chicago, is a member of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and is still coaching, and his brother, Matt Lombardi, coaches a successful high school football program in Minnesota.

Lombardi has five children, two sons, Rocky and Beau, and three daughters, Payton, Olivia and Gabriella.