D. Curtis Lawson has been the tennis coach at North Carolina Central University for 26 years (1990-96, 2006 to present), making him the longest serving Coach since the inception of the tennis program in 1949. Coach Lawson is also the only coach to serve as Director of Tennis for NCCU’s Men’s & Women’s programs at both the NCAA Div II and Div I levels.
During his tenure the Eagles have won two Men’s HBCU National Championships (2014, 2025) and the first Women’s HBCU National Championship in 2023. Coach Lawson has coached two HBCU National Singles Champions, two HBCU National Doubles Champions, five MEAC Player of the Year, two MEAC Rookie of the Year, three NCCU Male Athlete of the Year, numerous All-Conference Honorees, countless All Scholastic Athletes (MEAC, ITA, Capitol One), and he has been recognized as the MEAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and again in 2025.
In Fall 2024, Coach Lawson’s #1 Doubles Team won the inaugural MEAC Fall Invitational becoming the Conference’s first Doubles Champion to compete in the Inaugural ITA Conference Masters Tournament in Rome, GA. NCCU’s Doubles team brought home hardware as Finalists in the Consolation Bracket.
In 2025 Coach Lawson’s team set historic milestones both academically and athletically. Fall Semester 24’ his Men’s Team achieved the highest recorded gpa of any team sport in NCCU History (Semester gpa 3.88, Cum gpa 3.86). Athletically, the Eagles made history achieving the best regular season record in the DI era (16-5) and the Eagles made history advancing to the Semi-Finals of the 2025 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in Rome, GA. Senior Hugo Hidalgo Vega became NCCU’s first player to receive an ITA DI National Ranking (#111) with his win over then #38 Ranked Duke player Pedro Rodenas.
Perhaps the most notable milestone that ended a historic year came with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)
recognizing NCCU with the “highest team cum gpa in the country” for DI Men’s Tennis.
Coach Lawson has been the President of the MEAC Tennis Coaches Association for over a decade, he was the first African-American representative on the ITA Ranking Committee (Carolina Region) and he was one of only two
Coaches from an HBCU to ever serve on the NCAA Division I Men’s & Women’s Tennis Committee (the 1st being Hall of Fame Coach Dr. Robert Screen).
Coach Lawson is a certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), member of the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), Life Member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Life Member of the American Tennis Association (ATA). In 2021 the North Carolina Tennis Association (NCTA) featured Coach Lawson during Black History Month and in 2022 the United States Tennis Association (USTA) recognized his leadership as NCCU became the first university in the country to formally establish a College Community Hub.
In his parallel professional career, Coach Lawson was a Research Biologist and retired as a Senior Hospital Administration (Duke/VA). He is a Published Researcher, member of the American College of Healthcare Executives,
Philanthropist, Life Member of the North Carolina Central University National Alumni Association, Life Member of the North Carolina Central University Alumni Association Durham Chapter, Life Member of the NAACP and a Life
Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
• 1995 CIAA Southern Division Champs (1st in over two decades) (Source- NCCU-CIAA Archives).
• 1995-96 President- CIAA Tennis Coaches Association (Source- NCCU/CIAA Archives).
• Lawson left NCCU in 1996 and returned in 2006 to lead the program thru the reclassification of NCAA Division II to Division I membership status. Since that time Lawson has been the only NCCU Men’s Tennis Coach in program history to direct the program at both NCAA DII and DI levels (Source- NCCU Archives). Lawson is also one of only a select few Coaches in any sport that has coached at NCCU at both divisional levels (DII/DI).
• In 2013 under Coach Lawson’s collaboration with the USTA and the ITA, NCCU was the first and one of only two HBCUs in the country selected to host a ‘College Match Day’ event. The event featured a clinic for juniors, food & music all leading up to a conference match vs Howard University. As a host school for College Match Day NCCU received a grant to fund the event, national marketing/recognition (ESPN Streaming) and the day successfully ended with NCCU winning the match. (Source- NCCU/USTA Archives).
• 2014-Present- President, MEAC Tennis Coaches Association (Source- NCCU/MEAC Archives).
• In 2014 Lawson’s squad brought home NCCU’s first HBCU National Tennis Championship and the team received Proclamations from the Mayor of Durham and the Governor of the State. In the past 5 appearances NCCU has finished the tournament in 2nd Place (Twice) and 3rd Place (twice) and NCCU’s #1 player (2015-2019) captured the National Singles Title on 3 separate occasions. (Source- NCCU/HBCU Tennis Archives).
• In 2016 Lawson was appointed to the ITA Ranking Committee (Carolina Region). Out of all NCAA DI schools/conferences the appointment made Lawson the only Division I Coach (M/W) from an HBCU to sit on an ITA Regional Committee (Source- Intercollegiate Tennis Association).
• Under Lawson’s leadership his teams have maintained the Highest Team GPA of any men’s athletic sport at the University for his entire tenure ….. surrendering the title only once to the Golf Team (Source- NCCU Archives).
• Fall Semester 2016 Lawson’s team achieved the highest recorded Team GPA in school history 3.83 gpa (Source- NCCU Department of Athletics/Academic Support).
• Lawson’s inaugural DI squads were the first in program history to break the barrier and officially compete against neighboring powerhouses UNC, Duke, Wake Forest and NC State. Now NCCU routinely schedules a minimum of three ACC teams each season (Source- NCCU Archives).
• Lawson’s DI squads have competed against more nationally ranked opponents than any other squad in the history of the program. Notable opponents have included UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, Notre Dame, UNLV, Boston College, New Mexico State, ECU and others (Source- NCCU/ITA Archives).
• For nearly two decades Lawson has maintained an annual fundraising campaign that averages $10k/yr in Supplemental Revenue for the Tennis Program. (Source- NCCU Athletics/NCCU Foundation).
• Under Lawson’s direction and the coordination of NCCU’s Full-time Coach for the Women’s Tennis program, NCCU held its first Summer Tennis Camp in 2016. (Source- NCCU Archives).
• Over 95% of Team Captains under Lawson’s mentorship have entered &/or completed
graduate/professional school at some of the top universities in the world (NCCU Law School,
INCAE Business School, Alabama Law School, University of Pennsylvania Law School, MIT, UNC Medical School, Princeton Medical School, Yale Medical School, and Harvard Medical School). (Source- NCCU Archives).
• In 2018 Lawson was appointed to the NCAA Division I Men’s & Women’s Tennis Committee. This was a first for any NCCU Tennis Coach and there have been only a select few coaches in any sport in the MEAC that have received a NCAA appointment. The only other coach from any HBCU Conference to serve on the Tennis Committee was International Tennis Hall of Fame Coach the late Dr. Robert Screen….who served on the committee in 1999. (Source- NCAA).
• On April 4, 2019 NCCU hosted #22 Notre Dame making this the first time in program history that NCCU Tennis hosted a Top 25 Nationally ranked opponent in the Eagles Nest.
• In 2019 Senior Captain Gabriel Cucalon was selected as the Conference Player of the Year and NCCU Male Athlete of the Year. This is the second time that one of Lawson’s Captains received both of these prestigious honors, the other player being Daniil Gerasimov (2015). (Source-NCCU/MEAC Archives).
• In 2019 Lawson was the recipient of the Conference Coach of the Year award. (Source- MEAC).
• In 2019 Lawson was a Finalist for HBCU Coach of the Year. (Source- HBCU Digest).
• In a 10 year period Lawson has coached four Conference Players of the Year (2015-Gerasimov, 2018-Kontopoulos, 2019-Cucalon, 2024 Hugo Hidalgo Vega) two Conference Rookie of the Year (2015-Kilumets, 2021 Stipan Madzar), several All-Conference recipients and his players annually receive Conference and Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic/All-Scholastic awards. Coach Lawson has been recognized as Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2025. (Source-
NCCU/MEAC/ITA Archives).
• In the Fall of 2019 the NCCU Men’s Tennis team won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Community Service Award for the Carolina Region. (Source- Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Archives).
• In the Spring of 2020 the NCCU Men’s Tennis team won the ITA Division I Men’s National
Community Service Award. (Source- Intercollegiate Tennis Association Archives).
• In the Spring of 2021 the NCCU Men’s Tennis program becomes the first HBCU to host a NCAA Division I Top 10 ranked opponent on campus for a Dual Match (Two-time NCAA National Champion Wake Forest Demon Deacons).
• In 2021 the North Carolina Tennis Association (NCTA) featured Coach Lawson during Black
History Month and in 2022 the United States Tennis Association (USTA) recognized his
leadership as NCCU became the first university in the country to formally establish a College
Community Hub.
• In 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 Coach Lawson’s teams advanced to the MEAC Conference Finals for consecutive years.
• In Spring 2024 Coach Lawson’s Men’s Team achieved the highest recorded cum gpa (3.74) of any team sport in NCCU’s Modern Era.
• In Spring 2025 Coach Lawson’s Men’s Team achieved the highest recorded cum gpa (3.88) in school history and the team was recognized by the ITA with the highest cum gpa (3.88) in the country for DI Men’s Tennis.
• In Spring 2025 the team achieved the best regular season record (16-5) and best overall record (17-7) in the Division I era.
• In 2025 Team Captain Oliver Saarinen wins the Chancellors Award which is given to the student-athlete with the highest gpa. Likewise, in addition to achieving MEAC All-Academic honors and ITA All-Scholastic honors, Oliver received the ITA Arthur Ashe for the Carolina Region.
• In Fall 2025 Coach Lawson’s team wins the HBCU National Championship marking the 2nd time that his Men’s team has captured a National Title.
• In Fall 2025 the USTA Southern Section recognizes Coach Lawson for National Coaches
Appreciation Month
• Coach Lawson’s teams have received a combined total of four Proclamations from the City of Durham and State of North Carolina.
• In consecutive years Coach Lawson has successfully been funded grants from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) which provided supplemental funding the Men’s & Women’s tennis programs while also showcasing NCCU on a national stage.
• Coach Lawson is a certified Tennis Professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), a member of the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), a Life Member of the United States Tennis Association, a Life Member of the American Tennis Association, a Life Member of the North Carolina Central University Alumni Association, a Life Member of the NAACP, and a Life Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
• Coach Lawson is a member of the Board of Directors for the Durham-Orange County Tennis Association and as a healthcare professional he has served as a Trustee on the Durham County Hospital Corporation/Duke Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, a member of the North Carolina Chiropractic Board of Examiners, a Director Emeritus with the Boys & Girls Club of Durham & Orange Counties, Board member for the Uplift Project, Inc. and Board
member/Officer for the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People Foundation, Inc.
• Coach Lawson has established numerous scholarships over the years including two endowed scholarships at North Carolina Central University (Dr. J Ranaldo Lawson Endowed scholarship, D. Curtis Lawson Endowed scholarship), (Virginia State University Agnes D. Hassell Scholarship, Shaker Heights High School Desadre D. Lawson-Bullock Scholarship, Warrensville Heights High School Desadre D. Lawson-Bullock Scholarship, Lee Road Baptist Church Lawson-Bullock Scholarship) and the pinnacle of his philanthropic endeavors, the annual Lawson Charity Golf Classic, where proceeds from the event are donated to the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Club of Durham & Orange Counties, DPS Teacher of the Month program and the First Tee of the Triangle.
• Coach Lawson also makes time for civic and community service, volunteering his time with
organizations like Habitat for Humanity, NC Adopt A Hwy Program and he has served as
Undergraduate Advisor for the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc Chapter at North Carolina Central
University. Lawson also faithfully serves as an Usher and member of the Leadership committee at his church (Union Baptist Church, Durham, NC).
• Coach Lawson is a retired Healthcare Professional (Duke/VA) with the first half of his career serving as the first African-American Research Biologist in the VA Healthcare System…and the latter half of his career ending as a Senior Hospital Administrator.
• Coach Lawson’s student athletes consistently graduate on time or early and the majority
matriculate to graduate or professional schools. His former players now cover the full spectrum of career paths…. with 8 former players now practicing medical doctors, 5 practicing lawyers, 3 EdDs/PhDs working in higher education and the rest who work in the public/corporate sectors. Coach Lawson even has players that are currently playing professionally which again speaks to
breadth of talent that Coach Lawson has developed during his storied career. His ability to develop leaders is truly a gift…and his humility is an inspiration. Above all Coach Lawson has a deep faith in God and strong love for his family.
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