Jeannine (Hill) Kelley
Women's Tennis (1979-1981)
Two-time Skyway Conference Singles and Doubles Champion
Two-time Skyway Conference Player of the Year
Led Waubonsee to back-to-back Skyway Conference titles
Regional Vice-President for Medical Staffing Network
Coaches will often talk about team chemistry, camaraderie, and creating a family atmosphere within the framework of their program. It didn’t take much for Jeannine Hill Kelley’s coach to literally do just that. Former Waubonsee tennis coach Doug Hill only needed to look within his own household to recruit a future Chiefs’ star player.
As a sophomore at Aurora West High School, Kelley qualified for the Illinois State Tennis Finals. She was on the Blackhawks’ gymnastics team as well, a sport her father also coached through Aurora’s YWCA. Despite a solid junior year on the tennis courts, the National Honor Society member decided to forego her senior year of tennis to help teach gymnastics with her father.
After graduating from Aurora West in 1979, Kelley picked up right where she left off regarding tennis when she arrived at Waubonsee. Under the watchful eye of her coach, she captured the Skyway Conference’s number one singles championship both her freshman and sophomore years. Kelley also played at number one doubles both years, earning the conference crown each season. Not surprisingly she was selected as the Skyway’s Player of the Year for 1979 and 1980, as she led the Lady Chiefs to back-to-back league titles. Kelley advanced to the NJCAA State Tournament both years, when all players were in one division, but fell just short of qualifying for the Nationals each year.
Kelley fondly recalls her time at Waubonsee, but not just because of her athletic success, which she credits both her father and mother for. Kelley says it was the family atmosphere within the athletic program at that time, as members of Waubonsee’s other teams came out and cheered for each other. “I loved my time at Waubonsee. It is important to play sports. The lessons I learned as an athlete I carried into the business world. And, of course, I had the best coach ever,” Kelley exclaims.
After Waubonsee Kelley earned a Physical Therapy degree from Illinois Central College in 1982. She immediately went to work for Dreyer Medical Clinic in Aurora. Kelley was also a Certified Fitness Instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine.
Currently Kelley is the Regional Vice-President for Medical Staffing Network, which keeps her on the road at times. She oversees the organization’s Midwest offices covering seven states. Kelley and her husband John have been married for over 20 years. They reside in the quiet Northwoods town of Tonka Bay, Minnesota, where they enjoy the outdoors and lakeside lifestyle. And of course the close knit family atmosphere of a small town.