Tom Cudahy, ex-professional football player, came to Pine Valley in 1977 to open a sports bar and restaurant, The Goal Post. He met and fell head over heels in love with Erica Kane. They were married but were soon divorced when it became apparent that Erica did not want children (Tom is a devout Catholic) and Erica lied about her use of birth control pills. Erica is also incapable of being faithful to ANY man, due to her desperate need for a Father.

Tom then married Brooke English (Erica's arch-rival) and they had a beautiful daughter, Laura. A pregnant Brooke, divorced Tom when he had an affair with former wife Erica on the night before Erica's marriage to Adam Chandler. Tom's next wife was Skye Chandler. (Tom had real problems with women!) Skye caused the vigilante burning of Cindy Parker's home, then rescued Cindy from the flames, went into a coma, and awoke to find her husband Tom now in love with Barbara Montgomery, to whom Tom had turned for comfort during Skye's coma. After Skye was taken to Oak Haven Sanitarium (mental hospital), Tom thought he and Barbara would be happy. No luck!! While babysitting Laura, Tom's daughter, Barbara let her cross the street unattended and she was killed by a drunk driver. By then, Tom was a raging alcoholic (who wouldn't be). Tom and Barbara stayed married (he pretended to be the father to her daughter, Molly - really Travis's child). Molly acquired leukemia, then Barbara and Travis conceived a second child to harvest the infant's bone marrow. Tom fell off the wagon and divorced his wife.

Next Tom met Livia, the sister of Derek Frye, who worked out in his Health Club (he gave up the bar/restaurant when he realized he was an alcoholic) and they fell in love. They married - one of the first interracial marriages on daytime television. They adopted a son, Jamal McIntyre. Later, Alec McIntyre discovered that Jamal was his son from a relationship he had when he was younger. Alec wanted custody of Jamal, but Jamal wanted to stay with his adoptive parents. Tom, Livia and Jamal eventually moved away from Pine Valley. Tom "pops up" now and then - mostly during crises.