John Peterson to be honored by ITA
ITA Tennis-September 12, 2024 https://wearecollegetennis.com/2024/09/12/renowned-tyler-junior-college-head-coach-john-peterson-inducted-into-the-ita-womens-hall-of-fame/
TEMPE, AZ – John Peterson's road to coaching was none other than unique, but one that yielded exceptional results. During his 24-year tenure as the head men's and women's coach at Tyler Junior College, Peterson won a combined 23 national championships (11 men's, 12 women's) and amassed a total career record of 828-189 (.814). Peterson served as the Tyler Junior College Athletic Director from 1995-2000 and also served on the ITA Board as a Junior College representative.
Prior to coaching the men's and women's tennis programs at Tyler, Peterson taught physical education and coached football, track, and eventually tennis at the middle and high school levels, securing five state championships in his eight-year tenure. His tennis journey was then spurred by a chance encounter with a track athlete's inquiry about his tennis skills. It was then that Peterson bought an $11 racquet and from there, his passion for tennis ignited, propelling him to become a formidable force in the sport.
Initially hesitant to accept Tyler Junior College's offer, Peterson eventually stepped into the role with determination stating, "I felt like I stepped into really big shoes." Once at Tyler, Peterson did just that and did so by cultivating a culture of camaraderie and resilience.
Among a long list of awards and accomplishments, Peterson is a member of the NJCAA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Women's Tennis Hall of Fame, and is a 2007 inductee of the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame. In 2000, the ITA named Coach Peterson the Junior College National Coach of the Decade, the only coach named Coach of the Decade in both the men's and women's division.
Today, Peterson remains active in the tennis community and continues to support and follow Junior College teams. Although his passion for the sport remains steadfast, Peterson attributes his success and motivation to his family stating, "Tennis was great for me, my marriage, and my kids. Nothing in my life outside of my wife, Dorothy, my kids and grandchildren are as important to me."
Peterson is also a member of the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
The ceremony to celebrate John, and three other inductees, will take place in Williamsburg, Virginia at The College of William & Mary on Saturday, October 5th at 5:30 pm. To RSVP, click on the link below.
About the ITA Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame – The ITA Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, founded in 1995, was created to celebrate the milestones in women's collegiate tennis, from the early struggles for recognition to the achievement of full-fledged intercollegiate competition. The Women's Hall of Fame is operated by The College of William & Mary and is housed in the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on the William & Mary campus. Since 1995, over 80 players, coaches and contributors have been inducted. Players are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame 10 years after the conclusion of their collegiate career. Coaches are eligible immediately following retirement. The main criteria for election are college accomplishments and honors earned after college.
About the ITA – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body and coaches association of college tennis, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. Comprised of 1,260 colleges and universities, 20,000 student-athletes, 1,700 varsity programs, 3,000 coaches, and 1,350 college tennis officials, the ITA empowers college tennis coaches at all levels to deliver vibrant tennis programs that are vital to their college communities and transformational to their student-athletes. Follow the 2023-24 college tennis season on the ITA website and ITA social channels on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
