From: Jeff Febus (jfebus@calvin.edu)
Date: Sat Jun 21 2003 - 21:53:45 EDT
Calvin Sports Report For June 22, 2003
John Ross Named Women's Basketball/Men's Tennis Coach at Calvin
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Calvin College has named John Ross as its head women's
basketball and men's tennis coach. Ross replaces Kim Gall who resigned as
women's basketball coach in March and Milan Norgauer who vacated the men's
tennis coaching spot last month to accept a ministerial position in Colorado.
A native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the 36-year old Ross will be coming to Calvin
from Earlham College (IN), a member of the NCAA Division III North Coast
Athletic Conference. A graduate of Manitowoc Lutheran High School, Ross has
spent the last four years at Earlham College where he has served as head men's
and women's tennis coach and assistant men's basketball coach.
"I am extremely excited to be a coach and a professor at a Christian College,"
said Ross. "To have the opportunity to be a head basketball coach is something
I have always dreamed of. I also have a great love for tennis and to have the
opportunity to coach the sport is an added luxury."
Calvin women's athletic director Nancy Meyer also expressed excitement in
bringing Ross aboard. "We feel that this is a very exciting hire for us," said
Meyer. "John has excellent credentials as both a core activies teacher and
coach. He has worked with athletes at a variety of different levels and
excelled everywhere he has been."
Ross earned a Masters of Science degree from Eastern Illinois University in
1994. He majored in physical education with a concentration in exercise
physiology. Ross received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of
Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1990. At Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Ross was a member of the
men's tennis team from 1987-1989.
Ross began his basketball coaching career in 1991 as an assistant coach at
Matoon High School in Mattoon, Illinois, a position he continued until 1994.
During the 1998-99 season, he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the
women's basketball team at Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Ironically, that
Wisconsin-Oshkosh team would advance to the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA III
Tournament after edging Calvin 61-59 at the Calvin Fieldhouse in a national
semi-quarterfinal game the night before.
Ross then accepted a teaching and coaching position at Earlham College in 1999
and served as an assistant men's basketball coach through the 2002-2003 season.
During his four years on the Earlham men's basketball coaching staff, the
Quakers recorded a record of 53-53 after having gone just 117-350 over the
previous 20 years. Earlham's 2000-2001 team finished 16-10 overall and reached
the NCAC Tournament semifinals.
From 1999-2002, Ross was an employee at the University of Wisconsin women's
basketball summer team camp, working with former Wisconsin women's basketball
coach and current Wichita State University women's basketball coach Jane
Albright. In 2002, he served as director of the University of Wisconsin summer
team camp.
"I have known John for many years and have found him to be an excellent teacher
and motivator," said Albright. "John will bring success to whatever he is
involved in. He has great passion for student-athletes, the game of basketball
and the Lord. Who can beat that combination?"
Ross began his tennis coaching career in 1991 as women's tennis coach at
Eastern Illinois University. Over a three-year period, he took the women's team
from the bottom of the Mid-Continent Conference (MCC) standings to a
second-place finish. In 1994, he was selected the MCC's Coach of the Year. Ross
compiled a 55-24 record at Eastern Illinois where the student-athletes in his
program had a 100% graduation rate and combined a cumulative 3.3 grade-point
average.
From 1994-95, Ross was a tennis professional at the John Newcombe Tennis
Academy in New Braunfels, Texas. He worked with future tennis stars from around
the world, including Lleyton Hewitt from Australia, who finished the 2001 and
2002 season as the #1 ranked player in the world.
Ross served as the Head Tennis Professional at Fox Cities Racquet Club in
Appleton, Wisconsin from 1995-99. His club sent more than 50 players to the
state tennis tournament. An USPTA certified tennis professional since 1994, he
has also served as a director of the Nike Tennis Camps at the University of
Notre Dame.
At Earlham, Ross led the men's and women's tennis teams to a combined four-year
record of 79-61. Prior to his arrival, Earlham's men's and women's tennis
teams had posted a combined record of 72-275 over a 20-year span. This past
spring, Ross led the Earlham men's tennis team to an 18-5 overall record and a
fifth place finish in the NCAC. The Quakers were also ranked 24th in the final
ITA Division III Great Lakes Regional rankings. The Earlham women's tennis
team finished 9-8 overall and tied for seventh place in the NCAC.
At Earlham, Ross also served as Chair of the Athletics, Wellness and Physical
Education Department where he taught courses in lifetime wellness, golf,
basketball and tennis. He has also been the faculty advisor for Earlham's
Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and worked FCA summer camps at St.
Olaf College (MN) and Luther College (IA).
In addition to his coaching duties, Ross will teach core activity classes in
Calvin's Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport department.
"I look forward to establishing great rapport with the coaches and community in
West Michigan," said Ross. "I will definitely have a focus on recruiting local
student-athletes and I am excited about meeting coaches and players in the
area. I am eager to begin the recruiting process."
Ross takes over a Calvin women's basketball team that posted a 15-11 overall
record last year and finished tied for fifth in the MIAA. The women's
basketball team is expected to return three starters and at least 10
letterwinners. In the history of its program, the Calvin women's basketball
team has captured nine MIAA titles and made eight trips to the NCAA III
Tournament. He also takes over a Calvin men's tennis team that finished 10-4
against four-year schools in 2003 and in third place in the MIAA. The men's
tennis team is expected to return five letterwinners including four players
from its 2003 singles lineup.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
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