Women's Tennis Head Coach - Craig Monson

Craig Monson

Craig Monson enters his second year as the UW-Eau Claire women's tennis head coach.

Monson is a former Blugold men's tennis player, lettering in 1990-91 and 1991-92. An Eau Claire native who graduated from Memorial High School, Monson earned his bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in business administration from UWEC in 1993. He received his Master of Science in Education degree from UW-Stout in December, 2000.

Monson is in his 22nd year of teaching or coaching tennis. His coaching experience includes three years as the Blugold assistant men's coach (1993, 1994, 2000), head women's coach at UW-Stout during the 1998-99 season and head coach of both the men's and women's programs for three seasons at Macalester College from 1996-98. He started his career as an instructor in the Eau Claire Parks & Rec program in 1985 and 1986. He served in a similar capacity with the St. Paul Parks & Rec program in 1996 and 1997. He has been the tennis pro at the YMCA Tennis Center since 1998 and also served in that capacity from 1989 to 1991. He was the assistant coach for the boys program at Eau Claire Memorial for one season (1990) and for the girls program at Memorial for three seasons (1991-93). He also spent two falls (1994, 1995) as a tennis pro in Salt Lake City.

Monson is still active as a tennis player in open competitions throughout the Midwest. He is currently ranked 2nd in the Men's Open Doubles of the USTA's Northern Section.

Monson just recently was named CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin and as such is responsible for the overall management of this not-for-profit organization and its $500,000 budget. The Northwestern Wisconsin area includes five counties stretching from Eau Claire to Hudson. He has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2000, most recently overseeing a federally appropriated project called Safe & Sound which provides safe havens for youth during non-school hours.

Monson's 10-plus years of management and supervisory roles includes being the staffing coordinator for the Brigham Group in Eau Claire for one year, serving as general manager of Erbert & Gerbert's Subs & Clubs in St. Paul, Minnesota for two years and serving as the Dunn County Juvenile Community Service Coordinator for a year.

Monson has been a Board Member of the Eau Claire Optimists Club since 2002 and has been a member of the Eau Claire Coalition for Youth since 2001.

Updated 8/30/05