m-tennis Masthead Graphic
Roster   |    Schedule   |    Photos   |    Stats   |    News   |    Archives
GoStanford.comWeb

  Dick Gould
Dick Gould

Player Profile
Position:
Director of Tennis

Experience:
41st year

The John L. Hinds Director of Tennis
ITA Coach of the Decade 1980's & 1990's

Few coaches in the history of Division I athletics have obtained the level of success that Stanford men's tennis Head Coach Dick Gould has achieved.

After 38 years and 17 national titles, the legendary coach retired at the end of the 2003-04 season. However, Gould is very much involved with Stanford tennis as the John L. Hinds Director of Tennis for the university, and was instrumental in securing the bid to host the first-ever combined men's and women's NCAA tennis championships at Stanford in 2006. Longtime associate head coach, John Whitlinger, who was an NCAA Singles and Doubles Champion on The Farm, took over the head coaching duties following the 2004 season.

"Stanford has provided me with an incredible 38-year journey," said Gould. "I will be forever indebted to the wonderful young men with whom I had the great pleasure to work, and who in turn have taught me so much and made my life so rich. As for the future, I am looking forward to the continuing privilege of serving this fantastic university and Stanford Athletics as the Director of Tennis. There is much to be done as we strive to maintain and improve our tradition of excellence, and I am thankful the Department of Athletics has afforded me the opportunity to be an integral part of this." Gould was honored by Wilson Sporting Goods and the ITA as "Coach of the Decade" in men's collegiate tennis during the 1980s and again for the 1990's. The award is fitting as Gould's Stanford teams captured six NCAA team titles in both the 80's and 90's. Gould was also named the 2000 ITA Coach of the Year.

Under the tutelage of Gould, some of the world's finest players developed their games at Stanford. In world rankings, nine of his former players reached the top 15 in singles and 14 reached the top 10 in doubles. (Seven of these attained the world's No. 1 doubles ranking).

In NCAA individual competition, Gould produced 10 singles champions, including 15 different finalists and 12 others who reached the semifinals. In doubles, 14 players won the doubles championship, and 10 others finished as runner ups. Fifty of his players earned All-America honors. In NCAA championship team competition, Stanford won 88 of 99 matches (.889). Three Gould teams recorded perfect seasons: in 1998 (28-0), 1995 (27-0) and 1978 (24-0), and five times his teams lost only one match.

On three occasions, Stanford has captured back-to-back NCAA titles-1973-74, 1977-78 and 1980-81. The Cardinal won three consecutive team titles from 1988-90 and four in a row from 1995-98. Three Gould-coached squads have recorded unblemished records in 1998 (28-0), 1995 (27-0) and 1978 (24-0), and five times his teams have lost only one match. The 1998 team is regarded by many as one of the best all-time teams, posting a 28-0 record while losing just three points the entire year. For his efforts leading the team, Gould earned ITA/Wilson Intercollegiate Coach of the Year honors and was named the U.S. Olympic Committee Coach of the Year.

Gould is renowned not only for his coaching and recruiting skill, but also as a pioneer in the collegiate tennis world. The 69-year-old coach initiated major college indoor matches in 1974, opening the doors of Stanford's spacious Maples Pavilion to matches that attracted 7,5000 fans to view collegiate competition in the comfort of an indoor arena.

Gould also spearheaded campaigns to raise $18 million for the building of the Taube Tennis Center. The Taube Family Tennis Stadium provides permanent loge-type theater seating for 2,500 spectators, locker room facilities for home and visiting teams, an indoor practice range as well as a championship indoor court. The prestigious Orsak Family Heritage Room houses the 33 national championship men's and women's team trophies earned in the past 34 years. It also features a mural of all individual national collegiate champions. The extensive seminar space has been funded by the Koret Foundation and the Rick and Donna Fluegel Family Foundation, and furnished largely by the Bernard Osher Foundation. The Gwen and Victor Riches family has been instrumental in the development of additional tutorial and office space to better serve the renowned East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring Program, an inner city out-reach program, based at Taube. The Taube Family Tennis Stadium was the site of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships in 1991, 1992, 1997 and 2002, and the first combined men's and women's Championships in 2006. Additionally, Gould has been instrumental in bringing world-class tennis events to the Taube Family Tennis Stadium including the WTA's Bank of the West Classic, the 1999 Fed Cup Final, the Siebel Champions and the World Team Tennis National Collegiate Championship.

Gould was also the driving force behind the acquisition of one of the nation's first electronic scoreboards in 1983, which has now been replaced by the Phil and Penny Knight Scoreboard. This unique scoreboard has the capability to control and display scores from 12 different court locations, as controlled by the on-court umpires, to the fans at the Taube Tennis Center. These same scores are automatically entered onto a replica of the scoreboard on our web site - www.gostanford.com. In addition, the viewer from anywhere in the world can select from any six courts, which match to watch on his/her computer screen. This cutting edge video stream technology, adapted specifically for tennis was made possible by the generosity of Michael and Chris Boskin. The Russ and Jackie video center is another unique feature of the facility.

"Courtside With the Stars" was another brainchild of Gould's. John McEnroe, Roscoe Tanner, Sandy Mayer, Nick Saviano, Pat Dupre, Tim Mayotte, Peter Rennert, Gene Mayer, John Whitlinger and Scott Davis are among the tennis alums who have returned to aid Gould in his fundraising effort through the "Courtside With the Stars" exhibition matches.

Gould is also an accomplished author, and the most recent edition (sixth) of his instructional book, Tennis Anyone?, remains one of the most popular guides ever. He has also produced an instructional series for television. He has been featured on several instructional videos and DVDs.

Gould has been recognized for his service both to tennis and to the community. He was awarded the prestigious Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award for "Exceptional service to Stanford University" in 2002. He was presented with the Volvo "Service to Tennis" Award in 1989 as well as the "Linda Meier Service Award", presented by the Peninsula Center for the Blind. He was presented with the Educational Merit Award in 1983 by the United States Tennis Association. In 1966, the Lifetime Sports Foundation honored Gould as one of 25 master clinicians for teaching tennis seminars. Gould did his undergraduate and graduate work at Stanford where he was a Dean's list scholar and a Master's degree recipient. He was awarded the Buck Club's leadership award for tennis in 1960.

Following Stanford, Gould taught for two years at Mountain View High School, serving as tennis coach and assistant football coach. In 1962, he moved to Foothill College to become head tennis coach, where his teams won state championships in 1964 and 1965. From 1960 through 1966, he was the tennis professional at the Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills. He co-founded the Mid-Peninsula Tennis Patrons Association in 1962 and served as its first president. He has served on the Advisory Committee of the USA Tennis High Performance Coaches' Program and the East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring Program. He is on the Board of Directors of Northern California's Youth Tennis Advantage, U.S. Sports Camps and First Serve. He is on the national advisory board of The Positive Coaching Alliance and Sports Challenge.

Gould was named an honorary member of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association in 1981. He joined Frank Brennan as co-recipient of the first USPTA NorCal Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and was awarded the USPTA Service to Tennis Award in 2006. In 1967 he served as president of the NorCal Professional Tennis Association. He was inducted into the Ventura County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, the Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2006, Gould was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

Gould hosted four U.S. Junior Davis training camps at Stanford University in the late 60's and early 70's. He directed the USTA National Junior training camp in 1985, 1986 and 1987. He currently directs Nike Tennis Camps at Stanford. He has conducted tennis clinics in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, China, Japan and Central America.

Gould and his wife, Anne, the former Stanford University women's tennis coach from 1976-79 who led the Cardinal to its first women's national team championship in 1978, and is currently a senior lecturer in physical education at Stanford, reside in Menlo Park. Together they received the YTA's 2006 Arthur Ashe "Award of Excellence." Their daughter, Kim, led the Harvard volleyball team as captain in 2004 and has also performed as a member of the highly acclaimed Crimson Dance Team. Gould has three other daughters: Susan, a tennis playing graduate of Princeton University; Sheryl, a graduate of Stanford; and Karin, a graduate of the University of Southern California who earned All-America honors as co-captain of the Women of Troy's swim team. Gould's son, Rick, was co-captain of the Stanford swim team, an All-American, and former American record holder in the 200 medley relay.

Dick Gould at Stanford
• Overall Record: 776-148 (.840) 38 seasons
• Seventeen NCAA Team Champions: 1973, '74, '77, '78, '80, '81, '83, '86, '88, '89, '90, '92, '95, '96, '97, '98, 2000
• 88 wins in 99 matches at NCAA Championships
• Ten NCAA Singles Champions: 1973, '74, '77, '78, '81, '86, '91, '92, '98, 2000
• Seven NCAA Doubles Champions: 1972, '73, '74, '92, '98, '99, `04
• NCAA Coaching Records: 17 Championship Teams and combined 34 NCAA Champions (17 team, 10 singles, 7 doubles)
• ITA/Wilson Intercollegiate Coach of the Year: 1974, '94, '98, 2000
• World Tennis/Sharp Electronics Coach of the Year: 1989
• ITA/Wilson Intercollegiate Coach of the Decade: 1980's, 1990's
• Pac-10 Coach of the Year: 1977, '78, '80, '83, '86, '88, '89, '98, 2003
• U.S. Olympic Committee Coach of the Year: 1998
• Ventura County Athletic Hall of Fame: 1990
• NorCal Tennis Hall of Fame: 1992
• Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame: 1994
• Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame: 2006
• Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame: 2006


Stanford University Men's Tennis

  Printer-friendly format   Email this article