(Omaha, NE) — Jim Flanery, a Guthrie Center native and longtime Creighton women’s basketball coach, was honored by the Omaha Press Club on May 13 as the organization’s 186th Face on the Barroom Floor.
Established in 1971, the Face on the Barroom Floor award is one of Nebraska’s most prestigious honors, recognizing newsmakers who have made a significant impact on the state and the nation. The award is presented in a roast format and past recipients include Warren Buffett, President Gerald Ford, Johnny Carson, Bob Gibson, Gale Sayers and Dick Cavett.
Flanery shared this year’s honor with Kirsten Bernthal Booth, recognizing their roles as two of Nebraska’s leading ambassadors for women’s athletics.
The son of Judy and James Flanery, Jim graduated from Guthrie Center High School in 1983, where he was a three-sport athlete in basketball, baseball and golf. His father, James, is deceased, while his mother continues to reside in Omaha.
For more than two decades, Flanery and Booth had neighboring offices in Creighton’s athletic department. Flanery has led the Bluejays women’s basketball program since 2002, while Booth coached the women’s volleyball team from 2003 through 2024. The success of both programs helped pave the way for the opening of the Ryan Athletics Center and D.J. Sokol Arena in 2009, a 2,500-seat facility that has become home to Creighton women’s athletics.
Flanery graduated from Creighton University in 1987 after spending two seasons as a walk-on member of the men’s basketball team under Tony Barone and competing for the Bluejays golf team.
“I stumbled into coaching,” Flanery said. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I didn’t have a coaching agenda.”
After graduating, Flanery was asked by then-Creighton women’s basketball coach Bruce Rasmussen to join the program as a graduate assistant coach. He spent three years in that role before moving to Loras College in 1990 to become an assistant coach under Connie Yori, one of Creighton’s most accomplished women’s basketball players.
When Rasmussen stepped down in 1992 to become Creighton’s associate athletic director, Yori returned to Creighton as head coach and brought Flanery back as her top assistant. During their 10 seasons together, the Bluejays compiled a 170-115 record and made two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Flanery took over the program in 2002 when Yori accepted the head coaching position at Nebraska. Over the past 24 seasons, he has become Creighton’s all-time winningest women’s basketball coach with a 469-290 record and a .618 winning percentage.
Under Flanery’s leadership, the Bluejays have reached the NCAA Tournament eight times, including four consecutive appearances from 2022 through 2025. The 2021-22 season marked the program’s deepest NCAA Tournament run as Creighton advanced to the Elite Eight with victories over Colorado, eighth-seeded Iowa and 10th-seeded Iowa State.
The Bluejays also reached the NCAA Tournament’s second round in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2024. Flanery guided Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular season championship in 2017, while also winning Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles in 2003 and 2013 and the MVC Tournament championship in 2012.
Creighton has posted 20 or more victories in 12 seasons under Flanery and has earned 18 postseason appearances, including 11 consecutive years from 2008 through 2018. He also led the Bluejays to back-to-back WNIT Final Four appearances in 2003 and 2004, capturing the 2004 WNIT championship.
Flanery and his wife, Emily, have two children, Jackson and Brynn.
Booth was a two-time state champion in tennis at Lincoln East High School before becoming a standout volleyball player at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She earned her undergraduate degree at Truman State and a master’s degree from the University of Iowa.
For Coach Flanery, the list includes:
- A career record of 469-290 for a .618 winning percentage;
- Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament;
- A BIG EAST Conference championship in 2017;
- A Missouri Valley Conference championship in 2012; and
- A Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship in 2004.
