Cupp Field Named for Lillard

Throughout Radford soccer’s history, Tom Lillard ’79 has been a guiding and supportive figure, from playing on the inaugural men’s team and later serving as its coach to helping start and grow the women’s squad. To honor his extraordinary commitment, Radford University Athletics announced in the spring that the field at Cupp Stadium would be named in Lillard’s honor.

The field dedication ceremony took place during Homecoming 2024, but the initial announcement came on April 26 during the annual Red & White Gala. It came as a total surprise to Lillard.

“We got to the gala, and I started seeing a lot of people that didn’t make sense for them to be there – my old roommates and teammates – and I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on,” Lillard explained. “Unbeknownst to me, they called me up there [on stage] and told me what they were doing. I was totally blown away. I did not expect that.”

As a student, Lillard played on the men’s soccer inaugural team and, after graduating, served as assistant then head coach for six seasons. He played a key role in propelling the team to NCAA Division I status and was instrumental in helping form the women’s soccer team at Radford in the early ’80s.

“Tommy was more than willing to coach us while he also coached the men’s team,” said Kim Walsh Stutzman ’82, a member of the women’s inaugural team and a leader in the fundraising effort for the field-naming initiative. “He helped us get started, and that was huge. We all just think the world of Tommy.”

Lillard worked in administrative roles with Radford Athletics until 2008 and was inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

He has seen and done a lot throughout his tenure. But beyond the victories and championships, it’s the relationships he has cultivated at Radford that mean the most to him.

“Those are lifelong memories and experiences,” he said. “I think the gala really made me look around that room and realize what so many of those people there meant to me. And I’m very proud of the generous contributors who supported the project. I can’t thank them enough. That was an unbelievable outpouring of support.”