James F. Phipps, Jr. journey in tennis was an accidental one. When he was 11, he was a participant in the West Oak Lane Boys Club in Philadelphia_, PA. We learned such sports as baseball, football, and bowling. We were coached by civic minded men who volunteered in the community.
In the summer of 1975, his mother suggested that he go to the tennis program that they were running in the summer. He was
reluctant to go as nobody in his neighborhood played tennis—it just wasn't cool!
That first day was the day that the Pepsi-Cola mobile tennis van was there to
expose kids to tennis. The coaches, Herb Bomar and Ike Avant, had the Riley
brothers, Mark and Eric, there to give a demo. James didn't know them, but he did
know that they knew his cousin, Jon Harden, who was an avid player. He thought if
they could do this and be good, then so could he! He found that he truly loved the
game of tennis: its form, function, grace, and history.
James first job was as a counselor in training at a day camp at age 13. He had gotten pretty good at teaching and began to exchange tennis lessons for math tutoring in eighth grade. During that summer he Joined the National Junior Tennis League (now National Junior Tennis & League) Philadelphia, PA Chapter (i.e., NJTL).
As a member of the NJTL Tournament Team, he caught the eye of a legendary coach and started to train with Bill Johnson's group of elite players. Then, he was playing all the time. In addition to learning from Bill Johnson, he joined the Philadelphia Tennis Club and thrived under the watchful eye of other legendary coaches, Walter Moore and Ben Scott. Some of his early mentors included:
- Bill Johnson
- Walter Moore
- Isaac Avant
- Ben Scott
- John Ashurst
- Jerome White
- Hubie White
- Wes Hamiton
In 1982 he was selected as captain of the tennis team and Thode athlete of the year at his high school, Abbington Friends. He was recruited by Coach Bill Kahler to attend Millersville University to play and help coach as his reputation for coaching had grown. While coaching at Millersville he had the good fortune to coach four 2x NCAA All Americans: Ted Snyder, Andy Stoner, Young Min Kwon and Mike Kenedy. Other players of note that he had coached at Millersville: Miles Gray Jr., Mike Zinn, John Wylie, and D.A. Abrams.
Upon graduation he made a life with tennis, becoming a tennis pro at several clubs, where he worked with many elite and nationally ranked players. He was also the Head Coach at Franklin and Marshall College and doing national work (independent contractor) for the United States Tennis Association and the USTA Middles States Section.
James' private coaching includes having coached dozens of District and State players, several tour players, as well. He worked with thousands of kids at Racquet Club West in Lancaster, PA, the Wynfield Club in York, PA, tennis camps all over the USA, and he ran his own camps (i.e., Jim Phipps School of Tennis) and never turned away kids because of inability to pay.
Head Coach, Franklin and Marshall Men's Team:
1st
Year record = 14-4
2nd Year record = 15-3
Additional Highlights:
- NCAA Doubles = 3rd Round
- NCAA Team 1st appearance in 25 years
- 3rd on the all-time win list (with
less time than anyone else)
- Recruited/coached 4/5 of top players based on
number of wins 8 out of top 20
- 16 All Centennial Conference Selections
- 1 Centennial Conference Player of the Year
- 3 All American Academic Selections
In addition, he was the USTA Middle States
Section Zonal Coach = 6 years
- His team won every year that he coached
USTA NJTL:
- Head Coach, Invitational Tennis Camp for 15 years
- Director for 3 years (San Diego, CA; Washington, D.C.; Orlando, FL)
Billie Jean King’s World Team Tennis (WTT)
- WTT USTA Middle States Junior National Coach = 7 years
Team Winner Maureen Connolly Brinker Award = 2 years
USTA Middle States Girls 16/18s National Hard Court
Championships = 2 years
The Lancaster Country Day School, Lancaster, PA
- Boys/Girls Tennis Coach = 15 years
- Produced 7 State Champions and several State Finalists
- Many District and State Tournament appearances
American Tennis Association
- Men’s Open = Ranked #7 in 1981
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