Hansen Takes Over Reins Of Men's Tennis Program

Middlebury College has named Bob Hansen as the new head coach of the men’s tennis program. Hansen comes to Middlebury from the University of California Santa Cruz, where he has served as the head men’s coach for the past 30 years. Hansen succeeds Rob Barr, who was interim head coach of the Middlebury men’s team for the 2010-2011 season.

“With his success record, Bob Hansen is arguably the best coach in Division III men’s tennis,” said Middlebury College Director of Athletics Erin Quinn. “What is even more important is his teaching skill and his talent for developing players and teams. His coaching philosophy and ability to translate lessons from sports to life off the court will benefit all of us in the athletics department at Middlebury.”

The creator of the UCSC tennis program, Hansen is regarded as one of the top coaches in the country. Hansen led the team to seven NCAA Championships (1989, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2009), appearing in the finals 13 of the last 24 years. Hansen’s players have won 10 NCAA doubles titles and five NCAA singles titles. Under coach Hansen’s direction, the UCSC tennis program produced 117 All-Americans.

“I am beyond thrilled to be joining such an amazing staff of coaches and administrators in an environment that understands and supports the role of athletics in the college setting,” said Hansen. “I am looking forward to the challenges of combining the very best of the culture I developed at UC Santa Cruz with the best of the strong and thriving culture of Middlebury College tennis.”

Hansen has been named the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Coach of the Year four times and in 2000 was honored as the ITA Coach of the Decade for the 1990s. During that time span, his teams were undefeated against Division III opponents in the regular season going with a 73-0 mark. Hansen has served as an executive board member of the ITA as well as its Division III representative. He also served as the chair of the NCAA Division III Tennis Committee as well as a member of the ITA Rules Committee.

As a player, Hansen was Northern California’s Open Player of the Year and was ranked in the top eight for five straight years during the late 1970s. He received an ATP world ranking as well as much valuable coaching experience while playing the international circuit before coming to UC Santa Cruz. He registered wins over many top 100 players including top-10 players Brad Gilbert and Paul McNamee. He won the USTA 40 National Grass Court Championships held in Santa Barbara.

During the summers Hansen directed the NIKE Santa Cruz Tennis Camps where he was a pioneer in the development of the tournament training program for ranked juniors.

Hansen is a 1975 graduate of San Jose State University, where he earned a degree in physical education. He later returned to his alma mater and received a master’s degree in the same subject in 1980.