Duvenhage Named Vanderbilt Men's Tennis Coach

6/23/2005

Ian Duvenhage, one of college tennis’ most successful coaches during a brilliant 20-year span, today was named head men’s tennis coach at Vanderbilt University.

Duvenhage, 46, compiled a collegiate coaching record of 352-170 during 13 seasons as head men’s coach at the University of Florida (1988-2001) and seven years at the University of Miami as the head women’s coach (1982-1988). He has coached on the professional level the last four years and was the coach of the United States Tennis Association’s National Collegiate Team three times, including 2004.

Included in his glossy record are two Southeastern Conference titles (1994 and 2000), fifteen appearances in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, an NCAA runner-up finish (1985), two NCAA third-place finishes (1986 & 2000) and four NCAA Final Eight berths (1982, 1984, 1991 & 1999). He also was named the SEC Coach of the Year three times.

“I am honored to be the men’s tennis coach at Vanderbilt University and especially thrilled for this opportunity to be at a world class institution that I have long admired,” Duvenhage says.

“With the high profile of our men’s tennis program, we had tremendous interest in this position,” says Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams. “We conducted a meticulous national search and it was clear to us that the tennis world has great respect and admiration for Ian Duvenhage. In the end, we felt he was the best person to lead our men’s tennis program.”

Geoff Macdonald, Vanderbilt’s highly successful women’s tennis coach, was also pleased.

“I am thrilled that Ian Duvenhage will be coaching men’s tennis at Vanderbilt. He is known in the tennis world not only for his coaching expertise but also for his ability to teach, develop and mentor young men. I am honored to have him as a colleague.”

Under Duvenhage, Florida was just one of three schools in the nation to finish each year from 1991-2000 in the Top 16 of the final Rolex Collegiate rankings.

Duvenhage tutored NCAA champions in 1993, 1994 and 1999, and seven Gator players earned 20 All-America honors over the last nine years of his Florida tenure. He coached nine Gators to 25 All-SEC honors. Consecutive SEC Players of the Year (Jeff Morrison – 1999 and Justin O’Neal – 2000) were Florida Gators, playing under Duvenhage’s tutelage.

The 2000 campaign saw the Gators set a school record for most wins as they posted a 28-4 record en route to the NCAA semifinals. UF won 20 matches against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season.

Equally impressive is his players’ success at the academic level. In his 11 seasons at Florida, Duvenhage had 20 players named 23 times to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, including a school-record five honorees in 1999. Before he came to Florida, the Gators had only earned six Academic All-SEC honors.

Before arriving in Gainesville, Duvenhage was the head women’s coach at the University of Miami from 1982-88. In his seven years as the head coach, he took the Hurricanes to the NCAA tournament each season while compiling an impressive 131-44 record for a .749 winning percentage.

The Hurricanes placed in the top five nationally in four of those seasons, including a runner-up finish in 1985. The next season, Duvenhage guided Miami to a third-place finish while his doubles team of Ronni Reis and Lise Gregory won the NCAA championship. For his efforts he was honored as Wilson Intercollegiate “Coach of the Year.”

Duvenhage has a solid track record for his ability to teach and develop talent. In 1989, his first season at Florida, the South African native took the Gators to a 14-11 finish. This was significant since the squad had finished 3-20 the season before. The next season things continued to improve as Florida finished the year 17-9.

As a player, Duvenhage was a four-year letterman at the University of Miami where he graduated in 1980 with a B.A. degree in finance and later added an M.B.A. in 1983. During his four-year career, he compiled a 52-17 record, which included a 20-2 slate as a freshman. He made the NCAA tournament as a junior.

During his brief time on tour, he earned world rankings in singles and doubles and was the winner in doubles of segment IV of the 1983 USTA circuit with Michael Robertson.

Duvenhage has been active in community service. He played a key role in the Children’s Miracle Network Pro-Am, which benefited the pediatric program at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. The tournament raised more than $28,000.

Duvenhage is an avid runner, having completed six marathons.

Noting Duvenhage

Date of Birth: January 10, 1959
Hometown: Kuruman, South Africa
College: University of Miami, 1980 (B.B.A. Finance) 1983 (M.B.A.)
Coaching Record: 221-126 (.637) at Florida, 352-170 (.674) overall
Playing Experience: Four-year letterman for Miami playing No. 1 in 1979; Played in the NCAA Singles Championships during junior year; Achieved world rankings in singles and doubles; USTA doubles circuit winner in 1983.
Coaching Experience: Head Men’s Coach, Florida, 1989-2001; Head Women’s Coach, Miami, 1982-88; Head Tennis Professional, Innes Arden Golf Club, Old Greenwich, Conn., June-August 1984-86; Assistant Tennis Professional, Tokeneke Beach Club, Darien, Conn., June-August 1980-82.
Coaching Honors: 1986 Wilson Intercollegiate Coach of the Year, 1991 Co-Region 3 ITCA Wilson/Coach of the Year, 1993 SEC Coach of the Year, 1994 SEC Coach of the Year, 1999 Region 3 Coach of the Year, 2000 SEC Coach of the Year, 2000 Region 3 Coach of the Year.

What They are Saying About Ian Duvenhage

Bruce Berque — Head Coach, University of Michigan
“This is fantastic for college tennis in general to have someone like Ian Duvenhage back in the game. He’s the kind of person we need more of in tennis. He has great knowledge of the game and a wealth of experience and success but most importantly he’s one of those guys that does it the ‘right’ way. He cares about his student-athletes first and winning second. It is important for him that his student-athletes grow as people. I have no doubt he’ll bring a lot of passion to the program.”

Jeremy Foley — Director of Athletics, University of Florida
“I am happy for Vanderbilt and happy for Ian. He did a good job while he was here and I know he’ll do a good job at Vanderbilt. His players enjoy playing for him and I think it is a tremendous hire.”

Dave Balogh — Associate Head Coach, University of Florida Women’s Tennis and former Vanderbilt women’s assistant coach (1998-99)
“Ian is one of the all-time best college coaches and it is simply phenomenal for collegiate tennis to have him back in the ranks. He will do an unbelievably good job at Vanderbilt. He always said it would take a special place to get him back into the college ranks and Vanderbilt is that place.
“He is a great fit for Vanderbilt. I played for him so I know first-hand his emphasis on academics. He can coach, recruit and he also can make you a better person — he’s more than a good tennis coach.”

Lise Gregory — Former Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis Assistant and Florida State Head Coach
“Ian is a classy guy and that is how I think of Vanderbilt — a very classy university. He will fit in extremely well there.
I was fortunate to play for him (1986 NCAA doubles champion at Miami) and he did so much for my game. I was able to play on the pro tour after college and without Ian I basically had no shot at that level. His knowledge of the game is exceptional and he continues to learn. He’s a student of the game and a teacher of the game. He told me several years ago that Vanderbilt was one of only two places he would want to be.”

Jeff Morrison — Former NCAA Champion and Current Top 100 ATP Professional
“I am ecstatic that he is the Vanderbilt coach. He is the most influential person in my tennis career, which includes my three years at Florida and two years as my personal coach. He guided me, taught me and got me to believe in myself — he put me into the Top 100 in the world. He showed me what I was capable of accomplishing. Not only did he teach me a great deal about tennis, he also taught me about life and those lessons have taken me further than the tennis lessons.”