Men's and women's tennis are returning to the Bluffton University athletics program in 2011-12, with an alumnus and member of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame at the helm.

"During the last year, we have heard from more and more current and prospective students about their increased interest in competing in tennis at Bluffton," said Phill Talavinia, athletics director. Bluffton took a break from offering the tennis program in May 2008.

To lead the teams, Bluffton has hired a proven coach in J. Ronald Huber, who is also a member of the athletics halls of fame at both the university and Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio.

"Student-athletes interested in playing tennis at the collegiate level will have the opportunity to be coached by one of the best tennis coaches in our region," said Talavinia. "Ron has the passion and experience to help our student-athletes succeed in the classroom and on the courts." Huber will coach women's tennis in the fall and men's tennis in the spring.

At Shawnee, Huber compiled a 446-127 record as tennis coach from 1968-98. His boys' teams won 12 Western Buckeye League championships, while the girls took home the title eight times. He received the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award in 1998.

During all but one of those same years, Huber was a social studies teacher at Shawnee. He was named Ohio History Teacher of the Year by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1990.

At Bluffton, where he earned an education degree in 1968, Huber was the top singles and doubles player in 1966 and 1967, going undefeated in regular-season matches. He reached the quarterfinals of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament in 1966 and qualified again in 1967 but did not attend the tournament.

From 1967-77, Huber was also a tennis teaching professional at three Lima clubs, including Orchard Hill Tennis Club, where he held a full-time position in 1973. He was the Lima city doubles champion each year from 1965-71 and the city singles champion in 1969, as well as a five-time singles runner-up.

Huber, who holds a master's degree in educational administration from the University of Dayton, has operated a part-time business, J.R. Huber, Bookseller, since his retirement from Lima Shawnee in 1998. He has also taught several history courses for the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Bluffton.

Bluffton competes in the NCAA's 10-member Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, against universities from Ohio, Indiana and northern Kentucky. In addition to tennis, Bluffton competes in the HCAC in men's basketball, baseball, football, soccer, track and field, and cross country, and in women's basketball, softball, volleyball, soccer, track and field, and cross country.

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