Todd Creal was named Lincoln Lands new athletic director Wednesday. Creal, a native of Brighton, IL, comes to Lincoln Land after spending the last six years at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in a variety of coaching and administrative roles. Creal is no stranger to Central Illinois having spent most of his 28-year professional life here. “I am very excited to be joining the team at Lincoln Land Community College. I know the type of impact the college has made over its history in the lives of its student athletes. I look forward to being here and working to continue to uphold the values of what it means to be a Logger! I will work hard every day to enrich the student-athlete experience, support our fantastic coaches and to continue to elevate our presence in the Lincoln Land community and the greater Springfield community as a whole.” “I want to thank Vice President Shanda Byer, the search committee and the athletic department staff for this incredible opportunity at this remarkable place. My interactions with everyone here has made it feel like home and a place I want my family and I to be for a long time.”
While at Westminster College Creal served a number of roles including head men’s basketball coach. He also served as Sports Information Director, handling the statistics and promotion of all 18 varsity sports the Blue Jays competed in. In the 2022-23 school year Creal served as the Interim Associate Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and continued as the Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Compliance Officer. Creal oversaw the reimplementation of the Westminster College Athletics Hall of Fame. A one-night event that celebrated the colleges standout athletes and history. The event raised over $50,000 for Blue Jay Athletics. He also oversaw the game day management of all 18 varsity sports. Managing coaches and student workers to run competitive, fun and safe events.
Prior to Westminster College, Creal was the head men’s basketball coach at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois for 13 seasons before the college closed their doors at the end of the 2019-20 school year. During that time, he compiled 146 wins and had the highest winning percentage of any basketball coach in MacMurray College history. His teams finished in the top four of the SLIAC seven times. His 2015and 2016 teams won the SLIAC regular season championship, and Creal was named SLIAC Coach of the Year in 2010 and again in 2015. Alongside his coaching duties, he served as an Instructor of Sport Management. He also was the head men’s golf coach for four years. He spent the last four years as an assistant athletic director for game day management.
Creal had a three-year stint at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, as the assistant men’s basketball coach, recruiting coordinator and assistant professor in the Exercise Science and Sport program from 2004-07. Prior to his time at Millikin, he was the assistant men’s basketball coach, assistant women’s soccer and assistant softball coach at his alma mater, Illinois College in 2004. Creal worked for Augustana College from 2001-03. He was the assistant men’s basketball coach for the Vikings nationally ranked program that compiled a 37-13 record and won the 2003 CCIW Championship. He also served as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach during that time.
He got his start in the collegiate coaching world as the assistant men’s basketball and women’s soccer coach at Illinois College after graduation in 1998. He helped the men’s basketball team to the first winning record in 20 years in 1999 and qualified for the first time for the MWC post season tournament. In 2001, he helped the Blueboys to a 14-10 record and all the way to the MWC postseason tournament championship game.
Creal holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Illinois College and a Masters Degree in Sport Management from Western Illinois University. Creal played basketball for the Blueboys from 1994-1997. He was team captain in 1997.
He spent a year in 1994 playing at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois. He is a 1993 graduate of Piasa Southwestern High School. Creal and his girlfriend Ali have two children, a daughter Rylie (10) and son Cooper (4) and are looking forward to being back in Central Illinois.
