In 1992, Judy Dixon never envisioned herself staying at Massachusetts for any longer than half of a year as the women’s tennis coach.
When approached by Glenn Wong, the acting athletic director at the time, she was initially reluctant in accepting the offer and returning to collegiate coaching. Now, much to her surprise, she is about to enter her 22nd season leading the Minutewomen to success on and off the courts.
“I think I sort of got hooked,” Dixon said. “Obviously, 20 years later, here I am. It’s not been something that I’ve ever thought that I’d be doing. This has turned out to be something special.”
Dixon first started coaching at Yale in 1973 when she was 23 years old. After three years coaching the women’s team, she departed, but not before making a lasting impact in 1975 when she sued the university – the first lawsuit of its kind against a major university – and won the case under Title IX. Because of her actions, Yale would upgrade all of the women’s teams at the school.
“I have been lucky enough to be friends with Billie Jean [King], and as someone who has been a role model for me in being active in affecting change, that’s been important to me,” Dixon said. “You need to make a stand, you need to take a stand and you need to stand up for what you think is right. Win or lose, that’s the way I’ve been coaching.”
Now, Dixon cherishes her opportunity to make a positive impact on young adults.
“One of the reasons why I coach is that I am lucky enough to be able to make a difference in young people’s lives, either on the court or off the court,” Dixon said. “I can’t imagine many other jobs or careers where you get a chance to be in contact with so many young people and get a chance to make a difference.”
Leading the UMass women’s team since 1992 and the men’s team from 1993-2001, Dixon has brought consistency to a tennis program that struggled to find steadiness prior to her arrival. She explained that the resurrection of the team was a “slow and torturous” process, as the tennis program was originally non-scholarship.
“It was really one step at a time,” Dixon said. “I had to find the best talent I could to come to UMass for reasons other than tennis, because they weren’t getting scholarships.”
With over 260 career victories in her 21-year tenure, Dixon now stands as the winningest tennis coach in school history. Among other awards and recognitions, she has been named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year on three occasions (1998, 2001, 2003), led the women’s team to a 2001 Atlantic 10 title and an NCAA Tournament berth and was a 2008 inductee into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame.
In addition, Dixon said that leading the men’s team to the 2001 A-10 championship game, in which they lost to St. Bonaventure, was especially memorable.
“I think that was a huge highlight for me, because all the teams we played against had many more scholarships than we did,” she said. “That was one of the special moments for sure.”
Short term, Dixon said that her goals include continuing to help young individuals in tennis, leading the Minutewomen to an A-10 title this year and making it back to the NCAA Tournament before her coaching career is over.
“I feel honored and I feel humbled by the things that have happened to me along the way,” Dixon said. “I can’t say enough about the game of tennis, which has really given me so much of my life.”
Anthony Chiusano can be reached at [email protected] and can be followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
