Baltimore--UMBC Director of Athletics Dr. Charles Brown has named Baltimore native Rob Hubbard as head men’s and women’s tennis coach for the Retrievers.
Hubbard is a 1974 graduate of Calvert Hall College High School who competed on the ATP Tour from 1979-1981 and played in the 1979 and 1980 United States Open tournaments. He has coached privately and at Goucher (Md.) College (2000-05) and the University of Texas-Pan American (2005-08) since 1981.
“Rob Hubbard brings UMBC a wealth of experience as a big-time player, Division I coach and entrepreneur,” Dr. Brown said. “He has been successful at all levels within the tennis community and is a recognized figure in Maryland tennis. As a home-grown product and a national and international player and coach, he brings the know-how to move UMBC tennis to the next level.”
Hubbard replaces Keith Puryear, who coached for 19 seasons at UMBC and resigned this fall to take the position of head women’s tennis coach at Navy. The new Retriever mentor will begin his duties on Jan. 5, 2009.
"I am extremely excited about returning to my hometown to coach at UMBC,” Hubbard said. “Keith leaves me with a solid men's and women's tennis program and I look forward to taking the Retrievers even further in the future. I am quite anxious to get started."
In 2007-08, Hubbard's third season as head coach at UTPA, the men's tennis team jumped two spots from the previous season to be ranked 12th in the South Central Region for the fifth time in seven seasons. The women's team finished at 17-8 and earned a spot on the 2008 Women's Division I final regional rankings in 15th place. As if having the best season in program's history wasn't enough for Hubbard, the women's tennis team received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team award for the 2007-2008 season for their excellence in the classroom.
Hubbard took over the reigns of the UTPA men's and women's tennis program in November of 2005 and made the most of the short year with the Broncs and Lady Broncs. The women's tennis team finished with a 7-14 record, which were the most victories that the Lady Broncs had achieved over the course of the last five seasons. The biggest success came in the classroom for the Broncs and Lady Broncs as they were one of 22 programs in the nation to have both squads selected as All-Academic Scholar Teams by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The new Retriever mentor was a standout for the Pan American University men's tennis program from 1974-78 where he was the top-ranked player on the nationally-ranked Broncs' squad. In 1978, Hubbard was part of a Broncs' team that achieved the first top-10 ranking in program history where he was invited to the NCAA Division I National Singles' and Doubles' Championships in his final two seasons with the squad.
Following the 1978 season, Hubbard turned professional and enjoyed three seasons on the ATP Tour where he was ranked in the top-300 in the world and competed in a pair of U.S. Open's during the 1979 and 1980 seasons.
He was a two-time USTA National Champion and was selected to represent the United States at the Italia Cup, which was a 35-and-over Davis Cup competition, during his post-professional playing days. He was also the USPTA Maryland Pro of the Year in 2000 and was the USPTA Mid-Atlantic 35-and-over Player of the Year during his elite playing career.
Hubbard made his return to the Rio Grande Valley in 2005 after serving as the head men's tennis coach at Goucher for the previous five seasons. During his time with the Gophers' program, Hubbard guided the squad to its first NCAA Appearance during the 2005 season where his top two student-athletes were ranked among the top-40 in the nation.
That season, Goucher was ranked in the top-30 in the NCAA Division III polls, and Hubbard was selected as the ITA Atlantic South Region Coach of the Year as well as Capital Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Hubbard guided the Gophers to a 15-4 mark during the 2003-04 season and finished 14th in the Atlantic South Region rankings, which was the first time in program history that the squad was ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association at the end of the season.
Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Goucher College, Hubbard spent eight years as the Owner and Director of Tournament Tough Training Center in Baltimore, where the program trained elite junior tournament players for national, sectional and state competition. In the program, players were mentored throughout on-court drilling and match-play as well as off-court weight training, conditioning, nutrition and mental training. In his time with Tournament Tough Training Center, Hubbard produced more than 25 nationally-ranked junior players.
The UTPA head coach served as the Co-Head Coach of the USTA Junior Player Development Area Training Center in Baltimore, MD, from 1992-94 after he spent seven years as the Director of Tennis at The Elkridge Club where he was responsible for developing senior, adult and junior events, programs, clinics and lessons.
Hubbard served as the Head Tennis Professional at the Orchard Indoor Tennis Club from 1989-93 as well as co-owned the Tennis Institute Tennis Camp for six years. He got his start in the coaching profession as the Assistant Tennis Professional at The Wimbledon Racquet Club in Arlington, TX, in 1981.
He is a certified coach by the USPTA as well as a member of the Wilson National Advisory Staff and a former member of the Board of Directors of the USTA Player Development Area Training Center. He has earned a USPTA (P-1) Certification.
Hubbard and his wife, Robin, were married in April of 2007. The Retriever mentor recently earned his undergraduate degree in general studies from UTPA and is considering furthering his education in graduate studies at UMBC.
