Head Men's Tennis Coach - Tom Gillman

Tom Gillman

Tom Gillman begins his third season as the head men's and women's tennis coach for UW-Eau Claire. Gillman guided the women's team to its tenth-straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title and was named the WIAC Co-Coach of the Year in 2002.

The women's team posted a 30-7 overall mark, going 15-4 in dual meets and advanced to the NCAA Regional for the third time in four years. The Blugolds won four singles and two doubles titles at the WIAC Championships. Alison Hover won her fourth WIAC singles crown (two at No. 1 and two at No. 3 singles) and was the first tennis player in school history to be named a Verizon Academic All-American First Team selection.

Gillman comes to UW-Eau Claire after building the Red Wing, Minnesota High School program into a Minnesota state contender. In 11 years with the boys and girls teams at Red Wing, the Wingers won nine Missota Conference championships and four section titles. His 1998 and 2000 boys' teams were state runner-up, the same years in which he was named state Coach of the Year. Two of his Red Wing players have earned Division I scholarships.

Gillman was a college standout at UW-Stout where he played on three Wisconsin State University Conference championship teams for head coach Bob Smith in 1983, 1984 and 1985. He was the conference No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles champion as both a junior and senior and the No. 3 singles runner-up and No. 3 doubles runner-up as a sophomore.

Gillman received his bachelor's degree in hotel/restaurant management from Stout in 1985 and spent two and a half years with the Marriott Corporation. He returned to school at UW-River Falls and earned a teaching degree in 1991. He was an assistant coach at UWRF from 1988-91 and in 2001 was an assistant with former Blugold Scott Nesbit, a boyhood neighbor, at St. Olaf College.

Born in Elyria, Ohio, Gillman (b. 1/11/62) moved to Edina, Minnesota as a youngster and was a state quarterfinalist for Breck High School in 1981.

Gillman and his wife Theresa, who works in a family business in Red Wing, have two daughters-Lindsay (b. 7/31/88) and Katie (b.4/02/92).

Updated 6/16/03