Hutton Jones
Hutton Jones is at the start of his 17th season as head coach for men’s and women’s tennis at Abilene Christian University.
He is the longest-serving head coach in ACU tennis history, and the Wildcats' longest-serving active head coach.
He has directed the men's and women's tennis programs to a remarkable combined record of 720-253 for an incredible .756 winning percentage. In 16 seasons (1997-2012), Jones has led the women's team to a record of 375-100 (.789 winning percentage) and the men's team to a record of 298-144 (.676 winning percentage).
Jones has been named either the men’s or women’s Lone Star Conference coach of the year on several occasions, including earning Women’s Coach of the Year honors in 2004, 2007 and 2011 and Men's Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012.
He has led the men’s and women’s programs to 22 conference championships (12 for the women, ten for the men), 27 NCAA regional championships (16 for the women, 11 for the men) and 27 combined appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament, including 16 straight for the women’s program from 1997-2012.
In 2012, Jones guided both his squads back to the NCAA Championships and had five of his players earn All-America status: Hans Hach, Micah Hermsdorf, Hannah Kelley, Julia Mongin, and Nick Plum. Mongin finished the season ranked second in the nation, while Hach earned a No. 6 ranking in singles and was fifth in doubles with Plum.
Plum also was honored as the ITA’s South Central Region Senior Player of the Year after going 19-7 in singles and 24-3 in doubles.
Hermsdorf and Kelley garnered a No. 4 ranking in the final ITA poll of the spring, finishing with an 18-4 record.
Hach and Hermsdorf were also among Jones’ star pupils in the classroom as each were voted onto the Capital One Academic All-District VI first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Hermsdorf additionally received the title of Lone Star Academic Player of the Year, and was one of four Wildcats (Hach, Kelley, and Emily Conrad) named to its all-academic team.
Jones was head tennis professional at Ponca City (Okla.) Country Club before his appointment at ACU Jan. 1, 1997. He was a four-year tennis letterman for the Wildcats and assistant coach two years. A 1977 graduate of New Richmond (Ohio) High School, Jones received a B.A. degree in finance in 1981 and M.S. degree in management in 1983 from ACU.
He was assistant coach at ACU in 1984-85 for Allen Tappe and 1985-86 for Cecil Eager.
He competed in tennis at ACU from 1978-81 and served as team captain as a senior in 1981. He also has directed ACU summer tennis camps and served as assistant tennis professional at Abilene Country Club and head tennis professional at McAllen Country Club.
He is married to the former Paula Plasek, also a former Wildcat tennis player, and the couple has three children, including daughters Hayley and Payton, and son, Hutton Jones Jr., who was a three-year letterman at ACU.
