Coaching couple calls Oklahoma home

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original version of this story erroneously reported that the Reeveses were the only coaching spouses at OU and listed Mary Jayne Reeves as an assistant coach to the men's cross country and track and field teams. Women's gymnastics coaches K.J. Kindler and Lou Ball also are married, and Mary Jayne Reeves is an assistant coach to the women's cross country and distance teams. The story has been edited to reflect these corrections.

Coaching families are a fairly common occurrence in athletics, at OU especially.

The Sooners have family ties among several of the school’s sports, most notably the Stoops brothers in football.

But a husband/wife coaching duo is a rarity, and Jon and Mary Jayne Reeves are just that.

Jon Reeves is the volunteer assistant coach for the men’s tennis program, and Mary Jayne Reeves is an assistant coach for the women’s cross country and distance teams.

Getting here has been quite the journey for the Reeveses. They have worked all over the country, from owning their own tennis coaching business in Georgia to working at Virginia.

“It was a combination of tennis and track,” Mary Jayne said in reference to what led them to Oklahoma. “We met when we were both coaching and our goal was to get back to a university. It’s taken us eight years to get back to a university (at the same time).”

The Reeveses said Oklahoma was a great fit for them, with Mary Jayne being offered a position at OU and Jon being friends with tennis coach John Roddick.

“I called him and said ‘I think there’s an opening here, just making sure you guys are aware,’” said Roddick. “When they brought her in to interview, [John and I] just talked. It ended up being a really good fit.”

Without the help of Roddick, Jon and Mary Jayne may have never made it to Oklahoma, they said.

“When we came out here for the interview, it was basically a recruiting trip,” Mary Jayne said. “I had already been offered the job and it was just a matter of saying yes or no. I wasn’t going to say yes unless I knew that Jon had opportunities as well.”

Now that they are in Oklahoma, both Jon and Mary Jayne said they are thrilled with their jobs.

“My grandfather always told me that if you love what you are doing, you won’t see it as work,” said Mary Jayne. “I never say, ‘I’ve got to go to work.’ It’s more like, ‘I can’t wait to get there.’ [Jon] is the same way.”

The Reeveses said that the hope OU will enjoy their services for many years to come.

“We’re not moving anywhere,” Jon said. “This is where we are and we are going to be here. It’s a long term deal for us.”

Garrett Holt

Garrett is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Sports Reporter.