TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

Rod brings more than 45 years of teaching and coaching experience and is widely recognized as one of the Midwest’s most respected tennis professionals. A former collegiate player at the University of Illinois, he has coached thousands of junior players throughout his distinguished career. Rod’s accomplishments include serving as President of the USPTA Midwest Division for three years, earning USPTA Midwest Pro of the Year (1976) and Coach of the Year (1980), and being inducted into both the USTA Midwest Hall of Fame (1997) and the Chicago Tennis Hall of Fame (2020). In 2010, he received the CDTA Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the game. An accomplished competitor as well as coach, Rod continues to compete nationally in his age division and was a member of the USTA Men’s 8.0 team that captured back-to-back National Championships in 2024 and 2025. Since joining The Racquet Club of Lake Bluff in 2004, Rod has been an invaluable member of our professional staff. His passion for teaching, wealth of experience, and commitment to player development have helped shape generations of players and have been instrumental to the club’s success.