Phillip E. Tulley

Phil Tulley was born and raised in Waterville, Maine, where he played his youth and high school hockey as a goaltender. After service in the United States Marine Corps, Tulley moved to Milwaukee in 1970, and began a coaching career that spanned 35 years, and lasted, literally, until the day he passed away.

Though Tulley had no children of his own who played hockey, he coached at five different clubs in the Milwaukee area (Milwaukee Winter Club, S.H.A.W., Waukesha, Ozaukee and Wisconsin AAA) and at four different levels (Mites-5 years; Squirts-3 years; Peewees-21 years; and Bantams-6 years). During that time, his teams participated in 12 WAHA State Tournaments, winning the Peewee 2A State Championship in 2003, and the Bantam 2A State Championship in 2004. Tulley served USA Hockey and the Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association as a lecturer on goaltending at various USA Hockey/WAHA Coaching Education Program Clinics across the State of Wisconsin. He also served as a goaltending evaluator for Wisconsin State teams, and as the goalie coach for the Pettitt AAA Program. Tulley spent much of the off-season studying the game of ice hockey, and talking to those people involved in the sport in order to better himself as a coach.

In 35 years of coaching, Tulley took a very direct and long-lasting interest in the players he coached. This interest reached to these players’ personal lives and pursuits, and their success with their education and careers. He would often be seen at Little League baseball games, soccer and football games watching his hockey players perform, and attended more than a few high school graduations and other high school events to further keep track of his players. At a number of high school games, it would turn out that he had coached the majority of players on both teams.

Tulley served in the United States Marine Corps seeing action during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Dominican Republic Crisis. Following his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1974, Tulley worked for the McDonald’s Corporation until 1983, and until his death, for Steren Management Franchise assisting in running numerous McDonald’s Restaurants in the Milwaukee area. He was a long-time active member of VFW Post 2895 in Cudahy, and volunteered at Milwaukee Feis, an annual Irish Dance Competition and with Milwaukee Irish Fest. He also did volunteer work at the Greek Festival at Annunciation Greek Church.

Tulley and his wife Mary Jane have a daughter Sarah, because of whom Tulley spent much time working as a volunteer for Irish Dance.