| Services Set For Tuesday, Wednesday Visitation for Tom Reiter will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and again from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service at 11 a.m. at Soller-Baker Funeral Home, 400 Twyckenham Blvd. in Lafayette, Ind. J. William Overbay will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a living or financial donation to Be The Match Foundation, a global organization matching living tissue donors with patients. Further information can be found here. |
Jan. 25, 2014
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Tom Reiter, a longtime member of the Purdue athletics department, has passed away following a battle with cancer. He was 61.
"Tom was an inspiration to everyone associated with the Boilermakers," athletics director Morgan Burke said. "He was a confidant for our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and was always ready to offer a kind word or share his keen sense of humor. Our memories of him will fuel us moving forward. Our condolences go out to Stacie, Matt and Dan, and their entire family."
Reiter had sport administration duties for eight programs: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, and men's and women's tennis. He was in his second stint at Purdue, after returning to serve as compliance director in 2002. Reiter was named assistant athletics director in 2006, joined the office of sport administration in 2010 and was promoted to associate athletics director in 2011. He previously served as assistant men's basketball coach under Gene Keady from 1986 to 1993.
Reiter was head men's basketball coach at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., from 1993 to 2002. His other coaching experience included stints as an assistant at Hawaii (1985-86); head coach at Verona High School, outside Madison, Wis., (1980-85); and assistant at Ellsworth Junior College in Iowa Falls, Iowa (1979-80).
A native of Milwaukee, Reiter earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1975. He attended graduate school the following year and earned a master's degree in English literature. Reiter also received a master's degree in athletic administration from Purdue in 1988.
He published three coaching books: "Inbound Attack" (1993), "Basketball Offensive Sets" (1995) and "Basketball's Secondary Fast-Break Offense" (2001).
Reiter is survived by his wife, Stacie, and two sons, Matt and Dan, both of whom are Purdue graduates.