Creighton husband-and-wife duo reflect on decades of coaching together

In celebration of National Coach Appreciation Month taking place this October, USTA Nebraska is highlighting Tom and Jean Lilly.

Tom Lilly and Jean Lilly met while they were students at Creighton University in Omaha. Tom was a senior on the men’s tennis team, and Jean a freshman on the women’s tennis team. After Tom graduated in 1993, he was a tennis assistant coach from 1994-97. When he became the interim head coach, he needed an assistant.

“The A.D. asked if I knew anyone that could be my assistant, and I told him my wife was a former Bluejay tennis player,” Tom said. “The teams must have given him positive reviews at the end of the season, and he hired both of us. She has been my assistant for the women’s team ever since 1997.”

Jean enjoys coaching with Tom because they both complement each other and bring different strengths to the table, so they can handle almost anything.

“I appreciate Tom’s tactical mind, and I think he appreciates my insights as well,” Jean said. “I do a little more of the mom-away-from-home stuff for the players.”

Tom added: “She’s someone the players find easier to talk to most of the time. Maybe I’m a little rougher around the edges, and she can be more of a motherly figure for those far away from home for the first time.”

One of the biggest highlights over the years was their semifinal win in 2023 to reach the Big East Conference championship for the first time, as well as being named the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year that season.

But seeing players succeed after graduation, come back to Creighton and tell them how much of a positive influence they had in their lives is their favorite part of the job.

“It’s an extended family for us,” Tom said. “We can be like parents to them at times, which makes it seem more like a family we have been told.”

Among the challenges they face as coaches is having their own opinions on lineups for matches and drill progressions for practices. One of the biggest challenges is balancing coaching with their own family.

“We talk tennis all the time, and we missed a lot of extracurricular activities with our kids when they were young,” Jean said. “We were on the road a lot with both teams.”

As for the future, the Lillys hope they can travel more in the summers and spend time with their children—Kate, who is a junior at Creighton, and Tom Jr.