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A lot of coaches emphasize family and loyalty within a program. It’s literally the truth when it comes to Gustavus Adolphus College women’s tennis.

Jon Carlson is the head coach of the Gusties. His wife, Heidi, is an assistant coach and the Swanson Tennis Center director. Their youngest daughter, Calleigh, is also an assistant coach and assistant director of tennis and life camps.

Jon is in his 35th season as not only the head coach for the women’s tennis team, but also the men’s and women’s swimming programs at Gustavus Adolphus. He played for the Gusties men’s tennis team from 1984-88. Heidi is in her 29th season as an assistant. She joined the staff after completing her playing career for the Gusties from 1989-93. Calleigh, one of three daughters to have graduated from Gustavus Adolphus, joined the staff right after her Gusties playing career ended in 2017.

“Coaching with my parents has been so special,” Calleigh said. “What makes it special is that coaching together is more than a job–it's sharing a passion and a purpose with the people you care about the most. Every victory and every challenge feels more meaningful because we're experiencing it together.”

Jon has led the Gusties to 24 MIAC women’s tennis titles and 23 combined MIAC championships in the pool. He is the winningest coach in NCAA Division III women’s tennis. He took over the tennis program in 1990 and led the team to an NCAA title in his first season. After capturing the title, he told the athletic director he was going back to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy to work.

“But I told him I'd stick around if they gave me men's swimming and diving. They did,” Jon said. “I swam in high school and a little in college. Mostly, I learned everything from my dad, who was a Hall of Fame high school coach in Minnesota. I had another good year with both programs and said I'd stick around if they also gave me women's swimming, and they did.”

Enduring coaching lineage

Coaching runs very deep in the Carlson family. Heidi’s dad was a football, basketball and baseball coach. Her brother is a football and basketball coach, and her sister was a basketball coach. Along with Calleigh, their middle daughter, Grace is the head swimming coach at Ripon College in Wisconsin.

Heidi came to Gustavus because of the strong tennis program. After graduating with a degree in education, she took the assistant job as a volunteer position and did some substitute teaching while raising her family.

“I love being able to coach with my husband and daughter,” Heidi said. “We all understand the long hours, nights and weekends, and the stress that comes along with it. This makes it easier, since we all understand the hours that go into coaching.”

Calleigh had a great role model to help indoctrinate her to her future profession.

“For me, coaching really started with my dad, Jon,” she said. “He has always been deeply involved in both his swimming and tennis programs, and through him, I grew up around athletes and competition. He showed us that coaching is about more than just the game–it's about shaping people's lives in a positive way.”

Jon’s passion for coaching runs deep, and he’s never regretted the decision to enter the profession.

“I thought I was in heaven coaching three sports and teaching four activity classes (tennis, badminton, etc.) each semester for $16,000,” he said. “Then, I got married to Heidi and realized I actually needed to make some money. I've been grateful to Gustavus for raising my salary enough to keep me around for 35 years.”

Unforgettable experiences

Although some wonder whether they get tired of being around each other so much, it’s actually the opposite.

“If I didn't coach too, I'd rarely see Jon,” Heidi said. “It's also fun for us, because we discuss coaching at length, and our philosophies line up. On rare nights where he's home before I go to bed, we always find ourselves talking about practices, matches, and our team. It's a fun subject.”

Their daughters have understood what goes into the profession from the very start.

“When Grace was like 5 years old, I had to load her and her sisters up to bring something up to Jon at Gustavus. Grace said ‘we are going to where daddy lives!’ It was funny and sad all at the same time,” Heidi said. “Jon coaching three sports was rough when the kids were little. The kids would go several days without seeing him every week. We made it work, but it wasn't always easy. Jon loves his job, so that made it a little more bearable.”

Despite all the time spent around the courts during the week, the Carlson family doesn’t erect any barriers when it comes to bringing their work home.

“One of our favorite things to do is to sit on the patio and talk through practices, matches, recruiting, and what's next,” Calleigh said. “Conversation will naturally lead to other topics, but we really have immersed ourselves in our careers. The time, effort, and love my parents have for their programs is inspiring and we love chatting about ways we can be better in all aspects of life, and especially in coaching.”

Their Gustavus family has expanded greatly over the years, which has made all the big wins, training sessions, and travel to matches even more indelible.

“Our greatest memories are the players that have come through the program over the last three-plus decades and watching them grow and mature in college and succeed in life after college,” Heidi said. “It's amazing for us to witness. We already have second generation players. It's incredible.”

How long a member of the Carlson family will remain coaching at Gustavus is uncertain. But the impact the family has made over nearly 40 years is undeniable.

“To be able to serve my alma mater in this capacity, for a program that I've grown to love deeply, is an honor and privilege,” Calleigh said. “And to do it all with my parents? I'm living the dream.”

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About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].