Big Man on Campus

Todd Carlson, USTA Texas Section
Recreational Programs Coordinator.

Todd Carlson, USTA Texas Section Recreational Programs Coordinator, remembers what it's like to be in college and not have a tennis outlet. "I left the game after my four years of varsity tennis in high school and didn't come back until 10 years later," he says. "The one weekend intramural tournament at my college definitely didn't compensate for the lack of tennis."

Now Carlson is in a position to do something about that absence. Since he began focusing on the Tennis On Campus program one year ago, Carlson has expanded to USTA Campus Championship - Texas from eight teams in 2005 to 26 teams in 2006. And with help from the Texas Collegiate Committee, he has worked on the formation of regional campus leagues. Today, Texas has six regional leagues with nearly 1,000 participating students.

These achievements have not gone unnoticed. Indeed, Carlson has been named the recipient of the first annual Tennis On Campus Coordinator of the Year Award. The award was bestowed at the 2006 USTA Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, in March on behalf of the USTA Collegiate Committee to honor and acknowledge a staff member who constantly seeks to increase participation throughout the campus community in innovative and exciting ways.

"I have the passion for these college students who don't have a tennis outlet," Carlson explains, "because I was one of them."