The 2008 season marks the ninth year for Lee Lueck as head tennis coach at UW-River Falls.

Lueck’s extensive coaching background and desire-to-win approach to coaching have helped him to lead the Falcons to seven winning seasons out of eight. His coaching has helped him to produce an overall record of 74-39.

Last season Lueck coached the team to its highest finish in the WIAC since his start in 2000. The team finished third in the WIAC (3-3) with a season record of 10-4; helping it to qualify for the spring tournament and a chance to advance to nationals. The Falcons made history on Oct. 10 when they beat La Crosse (5-4) for the first time ever since the two schools began competing during the 1979-80 school year.

Under the guidance of Lueck, Kozue Matsumoto captured the 2007 WIAC No. 1 singles title. Matsumoto has since accepted a full-ride tennis scholarship to New Orleans University. She and teammate Kathryne Ostrowski amended the history book again winning the first No. 1 doubles title in15 years of Falcon history. The team finished third overall at the conference meet with six players earning medals.

The Falcons will strive to continue their winning tradition in 2008. Anticipating his biggest team (17-19 players) this season, Lueck will rely on a solid core of returnees and several recruits for competitive play.

“The entire WIAC [is] loaded with quality players this season. We will have a quality team as well, but will have to compete hard for every win within the conference,” said Lueck.

Lueck holds his squads to six standards requiring them to embody desire, dedication, drive and determination, discipline and sacrifice to be successful student-athletes. He takes a valid interest in the well-being of all his team members. Lueck has had two players receive the WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award, which honors the top outstanding senior in each conference sport for their achievements in athletics, academics and leadership.

“As a Div. III coach I’m their coach, guidance counselor, dad, tutor, and hopefully after four years, their trusted friend,” says Lueck.

Lueck got his start in coaching as a multi-sport coach in the River Falls School District for 17 years. His resume includes head coaching positions with the River Falls High School girls’ (17 years) and boys’ (five years) tennis teams. His teams won eight WIAA Sectional titles and finished second three times. He coached 11 teams to Big Rivers and Middle Border Conference titles. He also led his team to four state appearances and guided two state individual champions.

His coaching abilities were also lent to River Falls Junior High where he was an assistant football coach for eight years. Lueck coached junior and senior high wrestling for 17 years, both as a head coach and as an assistant. He taught social studies from 1969 to 2001 when he retired. He now works part time in the UWRF teacher education department as an ad-hoc professor.

“The greatest honor [is] walking the streets of RF and having a former student tell me how much they enjoy my class or me,” says Lueck.

Lueck’s accolades include receiving the Wisconsin State Coach of the Year award in 1997 and the WIAC’s Coach of the Year award in 2003. Lueck has coached an United States Tennis Association (USTA) men's 4.0 team. He has also taken the role of player and is a member of the River Falls men’s 4.0 USTA team. He led his team to the 2002 Nationals in Tucson, Ariz.

He graduated from Osceola High School in 1965 where he competed in football, track and wrestling. As an avid wrestler he was bestowed the honor of being his team’s captain and earned all-conference, regional and sectional titles; in addition to making a state appearance in 1965. A River Falls alumnus, Lueck earned his bachelor’s degree in geography and history in 1969 and in 1986, he obtained his master’s in administration.

Lueck and His wife Lu have two children. Lueck coached his daughter Larissa (31) to fourth place in state tennis and his son Landon (29) to second place and a state tennis championship. Larissa is an elementary teacher at Wisconsin Rapids. She received her primary education degree from UW-Eau Claire. Landon was a cast member of MTV’s reality shows the Real World Philly, Inferno II, and the Gauntlet. He recently graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in landscape architecture and is working and racing bikes for TREK.

Lee Lueck