University of Georgia Athletics
Ex-Bulldog Player, Assistant Roddick Hired By Sooners
June 25, 2009 | Men's Tennis
NORMAN, Okla. --- Former Georgia All-American and assistant coach John Roddick has been chosen as the head men’s tennis coach at Oklahoma.
"This is a tremendous hire for Oklahoma because John is a terrific coach,” Georgia coach Manuel Diaz said. “He's a winner. John has won at every level from his days as a player in the juniors, his All-America career at Georgia, then as a professional and now as a coach. He was a valuable assistant on our 2001 NCAA National Championship team. John will be a great addition for Oklahoma. I expect their program will make great strides under his leadership as he is extremely dedicated and a tireless worker."
Born in Omaha, Neb., Roddick was a four-time All American at Georgia from 1995-99 and was named UGA Athlete of the Year in 1998. Also at Georgia, he was a three-time SEC All-Academic selection. He has college coaching experience at Florida State (1999-2000) and Georgia (2000-2002).
"It is rare to find someone with a background as impressive and varied as the one that John brings to Oklahoma," Oklahoma Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione said. "He has been a fixture in the national junior program, has experience in two successful Division I programs, has coached the game at the highest level in the world and was an accomplished player in his own right. We are impressed that John not only has the ability to recruit good players to our program, but also a reputation for player development. It takes both of those qualities to build a strong program and we believe in John's ability to build a high caliber program at OU."
Most recently he was director of Roddick Total Tennis, a high-performance boarding academy in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, which he operated from 2002-09. Roddick Total Tennis produced such standouts as Georgia’s Nate Schnugg and Jamie Hunt.
Also during that time, from 2006-08, Roddick coached his brother, Andy, a former No. 1-ranked player in the world, on the ATP Tour. In 2006 and again in 2008, John was the Team Captain for the United States' World Team Cup squad.
"There are a lot of positives at Oklahoma and I am excited about this opportunity," Roddick said. "Winning is the culture there and I have a sense that our vision for the program is one and the same. I am committed to developing a strong program that also stresses excellent academic performance."
For the third time in a week, Oklahoma has hired a former Georgia assistant to lead a team. Earlier, the Sooners announced the hirings of Ryan Hybl and Veronique Drouin to lead their golf programs.
