Men's Tennis Head Coach - Tom Gillman

Tom Gillman

Tom Gillman is in his seventh season as the head men’s tennis coach for UW-Eau Claire. Previously Gillman served as the men’s and women’s head tennis coach from 2001-04.

Gillman has led the men’s tennis team to four straight winning seasons (2005-08) and accumulated a record of 63-23 during that time. In 2008 his team went 25-4. Since his time as the men's tennis coach, he has an overall record of 85-53.

Gillman was the 2001 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year in addition to receiving WIAC Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2002. Under Gillman the women’s tennis team won conference championships in 2001 and 2002.

Prior to UW-Eau Claire Gillman built the Red Wing, Minnesota High School program into a Minnesota state contender. In 13 years with the boys and girls teams at Red Wing, the Wingers won 11 Missota Conference championships and four section titles. The girls’ team won the conference title each of the last two seasons and had an overall record of 25-4 in that span. 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 4/14/08