LANSING — Rick Ferman, a Michigan State University tennis alumnus who coached and mentored generations of tennis talent in the Lansing area, died recently at the age of 74, according to the university.
Ferman played tennis for MSU in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was a No. 6 Big Ten runner-up in singles as a sophomore in 1970, posting a 10–0 regular season record, winning 20 sets and only losing two. during the regular season.
But his greatest legacy was his work coaching and developing young tennis players, said Todd Martin, a retired professional who attributes his career to Ferman’s early involvement.
Ferman, a Grosse Pointe native, continued his pursuit of sports after college as a coach and mentor and co-owner of the Court One North athletic clubs in Lansing and Court One East in Okemos.
One of the many youngsters Ferman coached was Martin during his years as a junior player. Martin went on to play at Northwestern University before becoming a top 5 professional player in the world, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, and a United States Davis Cup representative. Ferman went on to develop the Todd Martin Development Fund, which supports the Lansing chapter of the National Junior Tennis League.
Martin said his father, who moved his family to Lansing for his job at Motor Wheel, asked about tennis coaches available in the Lansing area for an enthusiastic child and heard about Ferman.
“He was effectively the one-stop shop in town,” Todd Martin said. “It was the stupidest chance I ever had to show up and have an educator, programmer, and community developer who was successfully building a culture of successful young tennis players. It was a whirlwind. Rick was everything from a businessman to a promoter to a pied piper to an educator of young people.
Ferman’s lessons went far beyond tennis.
He taught discipline and responsibility, lessons that Martin said would prove important as Martin met more and more elite tennis players, both those who were grounded and responsible and those who clearly were not.
“Through tennis, he taught me that once you start, you’re 50 percent finished,” Martin said. “While it’s not necessarily 100% true, it’s almost true, especially for those of us who are a little gun shy. The other is what I talk about the most when I talk to groups, it’s responsibility and being responsible for what we can control.”
Ferman would continue to serve on the United States Tennis Association, including serving as Midwest President and a member of the Board of Directors.
He served as executive director and chief operating officer of the association from 1996 to 2003 and was inducted into the USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame.
“Throughout his life and career, Rick has been one of tennis’s strongest ambassadors, serving our sport at virtually every level: as a volunteer, teacher, coach, executive and passionate advocate. “, Brian Hainline, current CEO and chairman of the USTA Board of Directors, wrote in a tribute to Ferman, shared by MSU.
In 1991, Ferman was named the No. 1 club tennis professional in the United States and Court One was named the country’s “Organization Member of the Year” by the USTA. Ferman received a 2002 MSU Varsity S Jack Breslin Lifetime Achievement Award.
He received his bachelor’s degree in 1972 and his master’s degree in 1973 from MSU. Ferman and his wife left the Lansing area and spent many years in Connecticut, Martin said.
Plans for a service are being developed for the new year to avoid interrupting holiday plans, Martin said.
“I can’t imagine how many people from East Lansing and Okemos and Lansing and the surrounding suburbs have played Division 1 college tennis and it all comes down to Rick’s responsibility to them,” Martin said. “Its impact, I discover every day now, is much broader than I already thought.”
Contact Mike Ellis at [email protected] or 517-267-0415
This article was originally published in the Lansing State Journal: MSU tennis great Rick Ferman, who coached Todd Martin, dies at 74
