Aug. 13, 2010

STANFORD, Calif.- Stanford men's tennis head coach John Whitlinger will be inducted into the 2010 USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame on Dec. 4 in Indianapolis, Ind., during the USTA/Midwest Section's 117th Annual Meeting.

A native of Neenah, Wis., Whitlinger is entering his seventh season at the helm of the Stanford program. Over the past six years, Whitlinger has led the Cardinal to a 93-52 career record and five NCAA Tournament appearances, including three straight overall. The 2006 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Whitlinger took over the head coaching duties in 2005 from legendary skipper Dick Gould.

"John Whitlinger's current success as a collegiate tennis coach and accomplishments as a junior player in the Midwest and nationally make him an excellent addition to the USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame," stated USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame Chairman Ronald A. Brooks.

However, Whitlinger's contributions to the Cardinal men's tennis program extend back more than 35 years, enjoying success as an associate head coach and student-athlete.

For 18 seasons from 1987-2004, Whitlinger served as the program's associate head coach under Gould and helped guide Stanford to a 416-64 record while claiming nine NCAA championships.

Whitlinger received the inaugural National ITA Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 1997. He was inducted into the ITA Collegiate Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Fox River Valley (Wisconsin) Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998. Whitlinger is also a member of Stanford's Athletic Hall of Fame. Also, the extended Whitlinger family was named the 1986 USTA Tennis Family of the Year.

Whitlinger competed on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour for six years. He was ranked in the Top 50 in singles, and ranked in Top 40 in doubles. Whitlinger was a member of U.S. Junior Davis Cup Teams from 1970-1974. He played for the Indiana Loves of the World Team Tennis League.

A two-time All-American (1974, 1975) at Stanford, Whitlinger was instrumental in leading Stanford to its first two NCAA championships in 1973 and 1974. The 1974 campaign proved to be Whitlinger's most successful, directing Stanford to an NCAA team title while becoming only the fourth player in program history to capture the NCAA singles and doubles titles in the same season.

During his high school tennis career in Neenah, Whitlinger won 109 consecutive matches and captured four WIAA State High School Singles Championships from 1969-1972. He owns 11 National Junior Titles including the International Orange Bowl in 1969 and 1970.

The USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame was established in 1984. It was relocated to the USTA/Midwest Section headquarters office in Indianapolis in 2006 after residing at the Markin Racquet Center on the campus of Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Mich. With the 2010 inductee class, the Midwest Hall of Fame is comprised of 65 distinguished individuals.

Currently, the USTA/Midwest Section exceeds 80,000 individual members and 1,000 member organizations. It is the second largest section of the United States Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis in the U.S. The USTA/Midwest Section is comprised of 14 Districts in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin as well as designated counties in West Virginia and Kentucky. The USTA/Midwest Section offers recreational and competitive tennis for individuals of all ages and abilities. For more information, visit the USTA/Midwest Section at www.midwest.usta.com.