Former Tappan AD Rob Lillie greets a well-wisher at his reception. The Ann Arbor Public Schools recently named the Tappan Middle School gymnasium in his honor.

Photo by Pam Lillie

Rob Lillie, retired athletic director and PE teacher at Tappan Middle School, smiles at this question from one of his former students as he stands beneath the scoreboard that bears his name.

Last Sunday, a group of administrators, teachers, former students and parents gathered at a reception to pay tribute to Lillie, and officially name the “Lillie Gymnasium” in honor of his 40 years of service to Tappan. During that time, he left his mark on literally thousands of student-athletes, including such well-known figures as University of Michigan and NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, Olympic swimming gold-medalist Annette Salmeen, and Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling.

Although Lillie can’t sell the gym (“Who’d want to buy it from me?” he chuckles), it very much bears his stamp of ownership. Former Tappan principal Gary Court (currently principal at Angell Elementary School) recalls the many ways Lillie took responsibility for maintaining the school’s athletic facilities. “When an oily residue remained after the gym floor was refinished, it was Rob Lillie who mopped it up. He cleaned all the lockers when construction left a layer of dust. He cleaned the swimming pool. He even mowed the grass of the baseball field, just to make sure it was short enough to play on.”

And Court remembers that Lillie kept a “running inventory” of lost or abandoned athletic shoes, neatly sorted by size, for students who forgot to bring their sneakers to gym class. “He had so many pairs, it was like the shoe rental at a bowling alley,” he laughs.

Court praised Lillie as a “servant leader” who dedicated his life to the well-being of his student-athletes. Among his accomplishments was the creation of the Division I Club, a mentoring and tutoring program for young athletes with the physical potential to play NCAA-level sports, but who faced ineligibility because of poor academic performance. “He took kids who were at the end of their rope,” Court says, “and tied a knot in that rope to help them hang on.”

Tappan principal Jazz Parks presented Lillie with a plaque honoring his lifelong dedication to making a difference, one student at a time. Assistant principal Rick Weiler acknowledged the “Rob Lillie All-Sports Trophy,” established in 2009 and awarded yearly to the Ann Arbor middle school that accumulates the most points in competitive sports.

Several other former associates, including Dean Cole, Coleman Jewett, Neil Miller and former Tappan athletic director Don Horning also praised Lillie for his character and his always-smiling attitude.

Andrew Thomas is the "Neighborhoods" contributor for the Tappan PTSO, and is a trustee on the Ann Arbor Board of Education.