Steve Wilkinson (tennis)
Full name | Stephen L. Wilkinson |
---|---|
Country (sports) | Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
Died | January 21, 2015 St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. | (aged 73)
College | University of Iowa |
Coaching career (1971—2009) | |
Coaching awards and records | |
Records Winningiest head coach in collegiate tennis (922—278) |
Stephen L. "Steve" Wilkinson (tennis player and tennis coach. As the head coach of Gustavus Adolphus College men's tennis team from 1971 till 2009, Wilkinson was the coach with most wins in the history of collegiate men’s tennis (929). He was also the No. 1 player in the United States in the 45-, 50-, 55-, and 60-and-over age groups, represented the US team in Dubler Cup, Perry Cup and Austria Cup and was a world team champion in 1989 (Uruguay) and word silver medalist 1992 (Germany). Wilkinson was inducted into United States Professional Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame, the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame and the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
March 29, 1941 – January 21, 2015) was an AmericanBiography
Steve Wilkinson was born in
Steve, as he later recalled, picked a tennis racket at the age of three and was throwing tantrums until his parents would throw him tennis balls. He mostly learned playing by himself. He ranked as a No. 1 at the University of Iowa for 3 years during his academic studies and in the mid-1960s played for some time on the amateur circuit.[2] He met his future wife Barbara Renk on a mountain top in Washington State; they married in Hamburg, Germany in 1966.[1]
In 1970, Wilkinson started teaching World Religions and Ethics at
Beside Steve's work at Gustavus Adolphus, in 1977 Steve and Barbara Wilkinson founded Tennis and Life Camps. The camps were held annually on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus[4] and combined tennis training with music, skits and other usual camp activities.[5] In their first year the camps hosted about 400 tennis players, the number that grew to around 1,500 players annually in 2000's. In January 2011 Steve, then 71 years old, and Barbara donated the Tennis and Life Camps, with Neal Hagberg named as the new director.[2]
While coaching, Wilkinson kept playing in seniors' competitions. He took the top spots in the U.S. rankings in the 45-, 50-, 55-, and 60-and-over divisions and represented the country in Dubler Cup, Perry Cup and Austria Cup competitions.[5] He was also a part of the teams that took world championship in Uruguay in 1989 in Uruguay and were vice champions in Germany in 1992.[4]
Last seven years of his life Steve Wilkinson was suffering from kidney cancer. He died in his home in St. Peter, Minnesota, on January 21, 2015, and was survived by his wife and two daughters, Stephanie and Deborah.[1] Not long before Steve's death, his memoir, Let Love Serve, was published.[4]
Awards and recognition
In 2007, Steve Wilkinson was named the national winner of the USTA/ITA Campus Recreation Award, which was creator for ITA coaches most successful in implementing recreational tennis programs on campus such as the USTA’s Tennis on Campus program and encouraging students to learn tennis. Wilkinson was also a recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Tennis Educational Merit Award.[4]
Wilkinson was inducted into ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010[4] and into the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Hall of Fame in 2013.[3] In addition, he was inducted into the Gustavus Adolphus Athletics Hall of Fame, the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame, the Northern Tennis Association Hall of Fame and the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame. University of Iowa presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d "Steve Wilkinson". Saint Peter Funeral Home. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ a b Gail Rosenblum. (June 18, 2011). "For 40 years, he's used tennis to teach life". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ a b "Steve Wilkinson Enters USPTA Hall of Fame". United States Tennis Association. June 19, 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g "ITA Mourns the Passing of Steve Wilkinson". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. January 22, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
- ^ a b Tim Harlow. (February 2, 2015). "Obituary: Tennis coach Wilkinson served up wins and lessons in respect". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-02-25.