About the Author:
Joan D. Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Physical Education, former women’s tennis coach, and former Chair of the Department of Physical Education and Athletics at California State University Los Angeles. She attended Western Michigan University ant received her B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She also attended the University of Michigan and earned the MS. in Education and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Southern California. An experienced tournament competitor, Johnson has competed in three of the four Grand Slam Events—the championships of Australia, England (Wimbledon), and the Unites States—while traveling extensively for both competitive and educational purposes. Professor Johnson was pioneer in the development of intercollegiate tennis for women, serving as one of the founders of the Southern California Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis League. She has directed numerous tennis coaching clinics and workshops throughout the United States and around the world. Dr. Johnson’s lengthy and outstanding service to tennis has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Gus .H. Bowan Sportsmanship Award (1959), the USLTA Women’s Tennis Leadership Award (1970), the southern California Tennis Association Coach of the Year Award (1974), Charter Membership in the Cal State Los Angeles Athletic Hall of Fame (1985), and induction into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Women’s collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame. She is the recipient of the California State University, Los Angeles, Outstanding Professor Award (1978).
Paul J. Xanthos is Professor Emeritus of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Los Angles Pierce College. He earned the A. B. Degree at Occidental College and the M.S degree, General, Secondary, and Administrative Credentials at the University of Southern California. During his seventeen years teaching and coaching at North Hollywood High School, he taught health and physical education for boys and introduced tennis to the Los Angeles City School System. As tennis coach at North Hollywood High School, Xanthos’ tennis teams compiled an amazing 138-8 league record, with fourteen championships and three second places. As men’s tennis coach at Los Angeles Pierce College, his teams won 347 conference matches while losing only 35. He led his teams to four consecutive Western States Conference Championships, with a win streak of 66 consecutive matches. He had an overall record at Pierce of 500 wins and 90 losses; consecutive wins of 66, 96 and 40; 12consecutive championships. At Pierce, he chaired the Men’s P.E. department for six years, received Outstanding Educator Award, Professor of the Month and three golden apples. He received the National Award of Teaching Excellence from the University of Texas. He has been internationally acclaimed as a “teacher of teachers” and a “master of large group instruction, ” having conducted more than 600 tennis clinics and workshops worldwide. Moving up to the Metropolitan Conference, his teams won thirteen conference championships and another two WSC Championships. He was instrumental in the organization of the AAHPERD/USTA Lifetimes sports Education Project (1965-1969) and the USLTA National Tennis Teachers conference (1970-present.). In 1974, Xanthos and Vic Braden were co-recipients of the USLTA Award of Merit “for outstanding service to tennis educational programs,” two of the earliest recipients of the award. In 1979, the California Coaches Association selected him, as Community College Tennis Coach of the year and in 1984 was the first recipient of the Wilson Sporting Goods Company Award of California Community College Coach of the Year. He was also USPTA Master Professional and Nation Coach of the Year. He was one of the first to be named a Unites States Professional Tennis Association Master Professional. In the 1988, he was honored as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Community College Coach of the Year. ITA honored him again in 1994, becoming the only community college coach to be inducted into the Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame. He was also again USPTA Coach of the year in 1994. In 1996 he was inducted into the AHEPA Hall of Fame and into the California Community College Coaches Hall of Fame. In 1999 he was inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame.
Ann V. Lebedeff is Associate Professor of Physical Education and Athletics and Head women’s Tennis Coach at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, California. She attended San Diego Sate University and received her B.A. in Family Studies and Consumer Sciences, with emphasis in Foods and Nutrition, and an M.A. in Physical Education, with emphasis in Exercise Physiology. She later attended the University of Southern California and earned a Ph.D. degree in Physical Education, with emphasis in Athletic Administration. A former nationally ranked junior and collegiate player, Lebedeff won numerous national doubles titles, including the 1974 USTA National Women’s Intercollegiate doubles title, the 1970 New Zealand Women’s doubles Championships, and the U.S. Amateur Clay and Grass Courts Doubles titles in 1972. Dr. Lebedeff is a nationally recognized collegiate coach and teacher. Her coaching career began at the University of Arizona in 1977-1985, where she was honored as the Western collegiate coach of the Year in 1985. She continued her coaching and teaching career at Cal Poly Pomona from 1989-98 where she coached both the men’s and women’s programs to national titles. In 1998, Dr. Lebedeff took a position as Associate Professor and Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in southern California. Her teams have consistently finished the year in the top ten and in 2000, her players won the NCAA Division III Doubles title. Notable coaching and professional awards for Dr. Lebedeff include three NCAA Coach of the Year Awards (1990, 1992, 2001), and Coach of the Decade for Division II Women’s tennis. The International Tennis Hall of Fame honored her in 1999 with the Tennis Educational merit Award, given to a man and woman who have made notable contributions in the field of tennis education, leadership, and promotion of the game. In that same year, Dr. Lebedeff was presented with the Rolex Meritorious Service Award presented by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. This award honors a college coach who has made extraordinary contributions to collegiate tennis.
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