John Newman coached both the University of the Incarnate Word men’s and women’s tennis programs for 23 years. He has guided the Cardinals through a number of transitions in his career taking the program from NAIA and the Heart of Texas Conference to NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference and Lone Star Conference and finally to NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference. He stepped down as the head coach following the season but remains as the tennis director of operations.
Newman has 27 years of experience as a collegiate women’s tennis head coach and 33 years as a collegiate men’s tennis head coach. During that time he compiled a 610-433-2 record.
Newman won 20 conference championships, earned nine berths to the national tournament, won 11 Coach of the Year awards and had his teams ranked nationally 27 times at the conclusion of the season.
In his final two seasons at the DII level, Newman had both the men’s and women’s teams just miss out on regional competition despite being ranked highly in the nation. The men were ranked #23 in 2012-13 and #19 in 2011-12, but missed out both years. The women were ranked #32 each year and were unable to receive a berth to postseason play.
In 2008, Newman led the women to the regional title and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time. The men earned their first ever berth into the NCAA Division II National Championships when they won a regional title in 2002. He led the men to six NCAA Division II Regional appearances while the women made five appearances and just missed winning the regional 2004 when they came up a point short.
Newman led the men’s team to Heartland Conference titles in 2002 and 2008 while the women earned six titles in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
In 2002, Newman was a double winner as the ITA men’s and women’s regional coach of the year. He was the Heartland Conference Women’s Coach of the Year five times in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 and he won the men’s award in 2008.
Prior to joining the NCAA, Newman dominated the NAIA Heart of Texas Conference. He won five consecutive men’s titles from 1993-97 and seven consecutive women’s titles from 1992-98. He was the Heart of Texas Men’s Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1995 and the Women’s Coach of the Year in 1992. He was honored as the NAIA District Men’s Coach of the Year in both 1993 and 1994. During his time with the Heart of Texas Conference the women never lost a conference match and the men only lost six matches.
In addition to team success, Newman had numerous players earn individual honors. His top protégée was Jonas Andersson who was the NAIA National Singles and Doubles Champion in 1993. Andersson teamed with Javier Ruiz for the doubles title. He coached a total of 16 All-Americans, 10 on the men’s side and six on the women’s side. His last All-American was Henry Estrella who earned ITA First Team All-America honors in 2008 and was the Heartland Conference Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
A native San Antonian, and a graduate of Jefferson High School, Newman and his then partner James Moses reached the number five junior ranking by the US Lawn Tennis Association. In college, he was on the first of the great men’s teams at Trinity University in San Antonio. He played four years there and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
His playing career has included stints on both the United States and European circuits. In his home state, he has won four Texas Open titles, one in singles and three in doubles with his brother Butch, the former Trinity coach. Newman also has won a singles title in the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation. He has played in three US Open Championships.
He is a stalwart in the Texas Sectionals. Beginning with the 35 age group, Newman has won every state tournament he has entered. In 1997 he captured his first Super Seniors title by defeating the number two player in the entire world for 60 and over. In the summer of 2003, he led the Texas team to a title at the National Intersectional Championships. He has been ranked as Texas’ number one player in both singles and doubles for the 65 and over category.
His coaching career began right at home as the men’s assistant and women’s head coach for 12 years at Trinity. He then spent four years as the men’s coach at the University of Tennessee and six years at Vanderbilt University as the men’s coach where he started the program. In 1990 he returned home to serve as the associate coach here at Incarnate Word before moving to the head job in 1991.
The collegiate titles under Newman’s leadership are monumental. At Trinity, he assisted on an NCAA national team title and was the head coach of a pair of USTA Collegiate Championship women’s teams. JoAnne Russell, a player under him at Trinity, was the Wimbledon doubles champion in 1977. At Tennessee his 1980 team won the Southeast Conference, a men’s doubles team won the NCAA championship, and he was SEC coach of the year.
Newman has been inducted into the UIW Hall of Fame and is the only three-time Trinity University Hall of Famer as a player, women’s coach and men’s coach.
