Ron Albers

Leadership is the key to any successful athletic program and coach Ron Albers has demonstrated that vital element at V.U. during the past 27 seasons.  He has coached 45 players who have achieved 65 NJCAA All-American designations. Fourteen players have won or shared ten national championships.

Albers has also earned the three highest awards a junior college coach can achieve. Albers received the 1999 Wilson Sporting Goods Intercollegiate Tennis Association Coach of the Year Award among all junior college mentors in the United States. In 1998 he earned the Hershel Stephens Coaching Award for outstanding service and dedication to tennis and the NJCAA Tennis Coaches Association.

In 1997, Albers became the youngest coach to be enshrined in the NJCAA Tennis Hall of Fame. He was the 1992 U.S. Professional Tennis Association Midwest Coach of the year and has won the K-Swiss Professional of the Year Award twice.

In 1991, he coached the Blazers to a 26-1 regular season record. He is a believer that a strong program needs a challenging schedule - regularly including NCAA four-year division I and division II schools.

The 2007 team finished with an 20-4 regular season record and tied for seventh in the NJCAA Finals in Plano, Tex. It was the school's 24rd consecutive appearance in the national tournament.

Albers is currenty president of the NJCAA Tennis Coaches Association. He served as the national rankings chairman for 11 years through the 2004 season.

Albers restarted the VU program in the 1980-81 school year and has a 591-142 record for a .806 winning percentage. His record versus four year schools is 289-106 (.732) and 302-36 (.893) against junior college competition.

Albers has groomed players who have earned scholarships and competed at several major college including Berry College, Mount Berry, Ga.; University of Charleston, W. Va; Rhode Island-Kingston; University of Southern Indiana; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Texas-San Antonio; Evansville; Cincinnati; Texas-Pan American; Ohio University; Northeastern Oklahoma State University; Indiana State; Missouri State; Nebraska; Eastern Kentucky; Texas-Tyler, Weber State, University of Southern California, University of S.Carolina-Spartanburg, Bellarmine College, Ohio State, Creighton, Old Dominion, Mercer, Murray State and San Diego State.

Wynn Criswell (90-92) made the NCAA Division singles finals in 1993 and 1994 and Played on the men's A.T.P tour. He is the first Blazer to play in the NCAA's top tourney.

"The outstanding achievements my players have attained both on and off the tennis court are extremely gratifying. Their success, like most everything else worthwhile in life, has come from dedication and hard work," says Albers.

The Trailblazer Tennis program has a 90-percent graduation rate.

Albers leads his players by example, both on and off the court. He is certified active member of the USPTA, earning a Professional I rating, the highest possible certification test grade. Albers has won several singles and doubles championships in amateur tournaments around Vincennes and plays in U.S. Tennis Association events in the Midwest.

Albers earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1979 and a master's degree in sports administration in 1980 from Eastern Kentucky University at Richmond.

He is a veteran skydiver and made his 1,000th jump on October 21, 2006. He is also a marathon runner and avid golfer.

(updated 6/15/07)

Assistant coach: Brian Slack
Trainer: Derek Hall