Torricelli Into ITA Hall of Fame

Torricelli To Be Inducted Into ITA Hall of Fame

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has announced that former Northwestern University men’s head tennis coach Paul Torricelli will be inducted into the ITA Men’s Hall of Fame on May 20 at the College Station Hilton in Texas. The Hall of Fame ceremony coincides with the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Championships being hosted by Texas A&M University. Torricelli currently serves as Special Advisor to HTA.

Torricelli coached the Wildcats for 24 years and finished his career with a school record 343 wins. He led the wildcats to nine NCAA tournaments and one Big Ten Championship. On three occasions Torricelli was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Paul’s teams posted a 343-257 (.572) overall record and a 162-114 (.587) mark in Big Ten play. He had eighteen players combine to earn All-Conference honors on thirty-one occasions and three of his student-athletes were named Big Ten Player of the Year.

The Wildcat’s success was not limited to the court during Torricelli’s tenure as he had at least one player receive Academic All-Big Ten honors in each of his 24 seasons. On seven occasions his players were named to the ITA All-Academic team and his 2003 team was the recipient of the inaugural ITA Sportsmanship Award.

"I am delighted with Paul's induction into the ITA Men's Hall of Fame," ITA Executive Director David A. Benjamin said. "It is a very well deserved honor: in addition to the great success of his teams over several decades, Paul will always be rightfully linked with the development of his greatest player, Todd Martin, a 2007 ITA Men's Hall of Fame inductee. Paul contributed great service to the ITA in many ways thoughout his career, and his team was first recipient of the ITA Sportsmanship Award in 2003."

Prior to coaching Northwestern, Paul was the head coach at Lake Forest College for three years and California State University-Chico for two years.

"Paul Torricelli is most deserving of being inducted to the ITA Hall of Fame. Paul was a great coach, motivator and friend to all of the Northwestern University Men's Tennis players who played for him through his 24 year career. Paul always treated his players with the utmost care and respect and was known throughout college tennis as a coach who always made decisions in the best interest of his players,” added current Northwestern Coach Arvid Swan. “I certainly owe a great deal to Paul as he was a tremendous mentor to me, gave me my first opportunity to work at the division I level and ultimately helped prepare me to follow his legacy at Northwestern University. I am so pleased that the ITA is recognizing Paul for all of his substantial contributions as a college coach by inducting him into the ITA Hall of Fame."

Paul is nationally known as one of top mentors in the nation and six of his former assistant coaches have become division I head coaches including: Mickey Maule (Northern Illinois), Adam Steinberg (Pepperdine), Gordie Ernst (Georgetown), Jay Udwadia (Fresno State), Greg Davis (Louisville), and Swan. Click here for a story from the Daily Northwestern about Torricelli and his lineage of coaches.

“Paul has been a mentor to me and one of the most influential people I have in my life. Being his assistant coach from 1995-1997 I learned so many things on and off the court, most importantly the true meaning of professionalism,” said Stenberg, coach of the 2006 NCAA Team Champions. “Paul taught me and all his players not only the game of tennis but prepared all of us for life away from the court. He represented college tennis in a way we all should be proud of and had such a positive effect on everybody that he surrounded himself with. I owe my entire career to Paul and will be indebted to him for ever.

Joining Torricelli in the class of 2009 is Bruce Manson, Peter Rennert, Greg Holmes, Brad Pearce, Byron Black, Jose Noriega, Wayne Black, and Brian Garman.

The ITA Men’s Collegiate Hall of Fame is housed at the University of Georgia’s Henry Field Stadium. Former Georgia coach and Hall of Fame member Dan Magill serves as curator and chairmen of the Hall. The first class was inducted in 1983 and since that time over 170 players, coaches, and contributors have been enshrined.