GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – John Ross has announced his retirement as Calvin head men's and women's tennis coach.

The retirement announcement by Ross concludes a memorable 21-year coaching run. Ross will continue to serve Calvin as a full-time professor in the Calvin Kinesiology Department.

A native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Ross took over the reins of the Calvin men's tennis program prior to the 2003-04 academic year. He added the duties of Calvin women's tennis head coach during the 2020-21 academic year. From 2003-to-2016, he also served as head women's basketball coach where he won 299 games and led Calvin to four national quarterfinal berths in the NCAA III Tournament including a 30-1 season in 2014-15.

This past April, he celebrated a combined 600 victories in his overall Calvin coaching career. He retires with 610 victories including 260 in men's tennis and 51 in women's tennis to go with the 299 women's basketball wins. Combined, he has tallied 311 tennis victories, more than any other coach in Calvin tennis history.

This past spring, he led Calvin to a share of the MIAA men's tennis title, its second under his watch while his women's tennis team took second in the league standings.

In 2007, he led the Calvin men's tennis team to the second round of the NCAA III Tournament, its marking its first national tournament appearance under his leadership. He then guided Calvin to its first-ever MIAA men's tennis crown in 2013 as the Knights earned a three-way share of the title with Kalamazoo and Hope. The men's tennis title this spring was a co-championship with Trine.

His tennis teams have also been a model of academic excellence with his men's tennis team receiving the MIAA Team GPA Award 14 times and his women's tennis teams earning the award all four years he has been its head coach.

"I am grateful to have had the opportunity to coach tennis – a sport I love deeply – at Calvin University over the last 21 years," said Ross. "Apart from the many victories and winning seasons, I will cherish the memories of my players with both programs. I have had so many tremendous student-athletes to coach. It has been an honor to serve them as head tennis coach."

Calvin Director of Athletics Dr. Jim Timmer offered words of praise and thanks for the years of service given by Ross.

"I would like to personally thank John for his work with the Calvin men's and women's tennis program and for all of the years he has served our athletics program," said Timmer. "He has cultivated a highly successful tennis program during his tenure and that program has exuded great class along the way. We owe John a great deal of gratitude for everything he has poured into the tennis program. He is passionate about Calvin University and I know his athletes have felt and appreciate that passion. Again, I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude for his time as a head coach."

According to Timmer, Calvin will now begin the process to fill the head coaching duties of the Calvin men's and women's tennis programs.