Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced on Friday, Aug. 19 the hiring of Gordon Graham as head women's tennis coach. Graham has nearly three decades of collegiate coaching experience on the NCAA Division I level.
     As head coach at Harvard University for 17 seasons, Graham guided the women's tennis program to nine Ivy League championships and the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 in 2003 and 2005. The Crimson, who earned their highest national ranking when the team climbed to No. 9 in 2006, advanced to NCAA post-season play eight times. Graham had a 239-152 dual-match record for a .611 winning percentage and produced 99 victories against league opponents.
     Graham, who was voted Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region Coach of the Year in 2003, tutored numerous NCAA singles and doubles championship qualifiers, including one quarterfinalist who went on to be ranked No. 65 in the world. During his tenure, Harvard produced three All-America players, four Ivy League players of the year, six Ivy League rookies of the year, and many student-athletes honored with ITA and league all-academic awards. In addition, Graham founded The Tennis Camps at Harvard, a summer day camp that grew to 180-plus campers per week.
     Prior to Harvard, Graham was the tennis program coordinator and head coach at the University of the Pacific from 1978-90. In his 12 seasons, the Tigers won 180 dual matches and one Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship. The PCAA was the forerunner to what is now the Big West Conference. He was named the 1985 PCAA Coach of the Year and the 1989 ITCA Northwest Region Coach of the Year. During his time at the Stockton, Calif.-based school, Graham directed three United States Tennis Association-sanctioned tournaments and professional tennis exhibitions with Hall of Famer Rod Laver, Gene Mayer and Bill Scanlon.
     Since 2008, Graham has served as the head boys' tennis coach at Arlington (Mass.) High School and as program director for Gordon Graham Tennis LLC. His community-based program has provided more than 800 children, ages 5-17, with school/weekend clinics and summer camps.
     Graham is certified as a USTA high performance coach and as a certified tennis professional by The Professional Tennis Registry. He has been involved in a tennis administrative capacity as chair of both the Ivy Group Women's Tennis Coaches and the Northern California Athletic Conference Tennis Coaches committees, as a member of the NCAA East Region Selection Committee, and as coordinator of the ITCA Regional Ranking Committee.
     A native of Pella, Iowa, Graham earned his B.A. in psychology from Central College in 1973. He received a master's degree in physical education and recreation from the University of the Pacific in 1987.