By Bill Simons
It was the greatest dynasty in the history of college tennis. Maybe one of the greatest legacies in all of college sports. But, for whatever reasons, the glimmering legacy left by Stanford Coach Dick Gould—with its 17 NCAA Championships —was tattered and in disarray.
Forget McEnroe—John or Pat. Forget the Bryans, Bob or Mike. And don’t even mention the Mayers —Sandy or Gene. The glory days of Maze, Mayotte, Tanner, Stark, Goldie, Grabb, O’Brien, Palmer, and Wolters were but a distant memory. The mighty Casey had long ago struck out. Jeez, this year, Stanford didn’t even get to the playoffs.
Stanford men’s tennis was no longer as good as gold, or Gould. But now, after the recent retirement of John Whitlinger, enters another golden guy: Paul Goldstein, named today as Stanford’s new men’s tennis coach.
The former Stanford and ATP standout was the frontrunner in a crowded and highly-contested field of about 40 candidates, including former Stanford stars, rival college coaches, and A-list ATP coaches. Backed by many, including the Bryan brothers and Brad Gilbert, Goldstein’s candidacy drew wide support.
And why not? Bright, charismatic, personable, and modest, he’s a Stanford kind of guy. And, oh yeah, he’s got one dandy tennis resume.
Heritage? Well yes, his Dad was the national table tennis champ.
Junior tennis trophies? You betcha, he rocked “The ‘Zoo'”(that would be Kalamazoo), where he became the first player in 45 years to win the boys national 18s back-to-back, thank you very much.
Collegiate pedigree? He was the first guy ever to help his team to win an NCAA title in all four years as a student. He reached the ’98 NCAA singles final (where he fell to teammate Bob Bryan), and was a member of the ’98 team with the Bryan Brothers, an undefeated squad that Inside Tennis ranked as the 8th best in collegiate history.
As a pro, Goldstein won $1.6 million, notching wins over a very young Novak Djokovic and a very good Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter ,and Greg Rusedski. He won 12 Challengers, reached No. 58 in the rankings, and he was an adept and rather feared doubles player.
As for connections and character, Goldstein not only went to Washington D.C.’s Sidwell Friends School and Stanford, he became a San Francisco businessman, and yes, he’s buddies with a pretty powerful gal, Chelsea Clinton. Plus, he’s got an Eagle Scout tendency, a certain Gould-like gift for doing the right thing. He won the Rafael Osuna Award for community excellence while he was in college, spoke out against gambling when he was a pro, has played in countless charity exhibitions ,and when he went into business, he worked promoting Clean Energy. How ecumenical is the Stanford guy? Well, he was coached by a UC Berkeley grad—Scott McCain. That’s ecumenical. Bottom line: there’s good reason the man is beloved.
Stanford Coach Gould told IT, “We will miss John [Whitlinger] due to his retirement. But, Paul brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm and a wonderful ‘we can/will do it’ attitude. While short on coaching experience, he will more than make up for it in other ways. He will inspire. Recruits and parents will find him most attractive—he is universally respected as a competitor, and for his complete class on and off the court . People love him and gravitate toward him.”
Rarely has a hire drawn such coast-to-coast praise. One future rival, Georgia’s Manny Diaz, said it was a great hire for Stanford. In an advocacy letter to Stanford authorities, Bob Bryan wrote, “Paul has an infectious passion and enthusiasm … He is easy to talk to, understands people … [and] commands respect.
His moral fiber is top-notch, and I know he’ll demand the same … Paul is a pure winner. He possesses these magical intangibles that you just can’t put your finger on. Paul Goldstein was put on this earth for one reason…and that’s to bring more national championships back to Palo Alto.”
Will all that’s Goldstein now glitter?
Stanford fans certainly hope so.
