University of North Carolina Athletics
Johnson Named ITA Assistant Coach Of The Year For Mideast Region
May 10, 2005 | Men's Tennis
May 10, 2005
SKILLMAN, N.J. - University of North Carolina assistant men's tennis coach Don Johnson was named May 10 as the winner of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Mideast Region Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Johnson, a two-time Wimbledon champion as a professional doubles player, returned to his alma mater as a full-time assistant coach in 2003 after serving as a volunteer assistant for several years while playing on the pro tour.
"Don is certainly deserving of this award. He has given so much to our program for so many years. This award not only recognizes his outstanding coaching ability but also his leadership in helping teach our young men how to be successful on and off the court," said Tar Heel head coach Sam Paul, in his 12th season at the helm of the UNC program.
The Tar Heels are 16-10 this season and ranked No. 34 in the nation. UNC earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons and the Tar Heels will meet Boise State in trhe first round of play Friday in Boise, Idaho.
In Johnson's first season back in Chapel Hill on a full-time basis in 2003-04, UNC finished 23-5 and shared the ACC regular-season title. The Tar Heels were the No. 11 seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and finished 17th in the ITA rankings.
Johnson is a 1990 graduate of UNC. He led the Tar Heels to the ACC title as a senior in 1990 while being named All-ACC. He toured professionally for several years as one of the world's best doubles players, representing the U.S. in the Davis Cup in 2001, winning the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2000 with Kimberly Po, winning the gentleman's doubles at Wimbledon in 2001 with Jared Palmer and reaching the finals of the 2001 United States Open in doubles while playing with Palmer, a Stanford graduate.
