Iconic college tennis coach Mike DePalmer, Sr. dies at 86

Tennis lost one of its most beloved and accomplished coaches when Mike DePalmer, Sr. died on Thursday, January 9, at age 86.

Born in Westport, Connecticut, DePalmer was an accomplished athlete in football and basketball at Florida State University, and only began to play tennis in his 20s. He rapidly became a successful coach. By the late 1970s, he partnered with another enterprising coach, Nick Bollettieri, and co-founded the DePalmer-Bollettieri Tennis Club in Bradenton, Florida—the club that, in time, became the renowned Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

In 1980, DePalmer turned his attention to college tennis, starting a 14-year stint as head coach of the University of Tennessee men’s team. In each of those years, the Volunteers were ranked inside the Top 20, including a run to the NCAA finals in 1990. Some of his notable players include Paul Annacone, Doug Flach and Chris Woodruff.

Two students DePalmer took an exceptional interest in were his son, also named Mike, and his daughter, Michelle. Both were all-Americans at the University of Tennessee and became world-class players (Mike peaking at No. 35 in singles and No. 20 in doubles) and accomplished coaches (Mike worked with Boris Becker for six years).

A third DePalmer generation has also made a mark. Michelle’s son, Rhyne Williams, was an All-American at the University of Tennessee and reached a career-high ranking of No. 114 in 2013. And her daughter, Caitlyn, was recently named the women’s coach at University of Tennessee at Martin.

DePalmer was long valued for his wisdom and passion, and was inducted into the Westport Sportsman Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.

A 2018 article written to mark DePalmer’s 85th birthday described him as such:

“DePalmer could teach a forehand and teach with a firm hand. He took in wayward players who got into trouble at Tennessse. He taught juniors without charging. He conducted clinics for countless youngsters from Portland to Asheville. And he did so with a vast vocabulary.”

Tennis will miss the wit, wisdom and warmth of this remarkable man.