Tide Tennis Throwback
9/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Mobile native John Stimpson was one of the most decorated Crimson Tide tennis players in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was an instrumental piece in Alabama's first two NCAA Championship appearances (1989, 1991). Stimpson got off to a hot start with the Tide in his freshman year. At the No. 3 singles position, he went an impressive 20-2.
After taking a year and a half off following his freshman season in 1987, he defeated 12 ranked singles players to help the Tide achieve a No. 11 national ranking in 1989. In that same year, he also won the SEC title in singles at the No. 2 position, qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship and finished the season ranked No. 31 nationally. He went 23-9 in singles, earning him a ranking as high as No. 26, with eight of his losses to ranked opponents. As a junior, he reached a high of No. 10 in the nation in singles, which still stands as the highest mark for a player in Tide history.
Following his collegiate career, Stimpson pursued professional tennis, where he earned an ATP ranking of 81 in 1991. Stimpson played on the ATP Tour from 1990 through the 1992 season, where he earned 21 career victories.
The 2014 reunion will be held Nov. 14-15. The event will include a Meet the Tide social, doubles mixer with current and former players, a tennis tailgate and the Alabama football game against Mississippi State. For more details, e-mail Coach Husack at ghusack@ia.ua.edu. Roll Tide!
