John Ross heads into his 21st year at the helm of the Calvin men's tennis program and is an associate tenured professor in the kinesiology department. In April of 2022, he was named Calvin University Professor of the Year. In April of 2024, he collected the 600th combined win of his collegiate coaching career in men's and women's tennis.
| Year |
Record |
MIAA |
| 2024 |
15-4 |
6-1 (T 1st) |
| 2023 |
11-6 |
4-2 (3rd) |
| 2022 |
11-8 |
4-3 (4th) |
| 2021 |
6-6 |
5-2 (3rd) |
| 2020 |
4-4 |
NA |
| 2019 |
12-8 |
5-2 (3rd) |
| 2018 |
17-4 |
6-1 (2nd) |
| 2017 |
16-6 |
5-2 (3rd) |
| 2016 |
11-6 |
4-3 (4th) |
| 2015 |
9-9 |
4-2 (2nd) |
| 2014 |
5-13 |
0-6 (6th) |
| 2013 |
13-6 |
5-1 (T 1st) |
| 2012 |
11-8 |
5-1 (2nd) |
| 2011 |
16-8 |
5-1 (2nd) |
| 2010 |
15-9 |
4-2 (3rd) |
| 2009 |
16-7 |
4-2 (3rd) |
| 2008 |
14-6 |
5-1 (2nd) |
| 2007 |
18-6 |
5-1 (2nd) |
| 2006 |
14-5 |
5-1 (2nd) |
| 2005 |
16-3 |
5-1 (2nd) |
| 2004 |
10-6 |
2-3 (4th) |
| Total |
260-138 |
88-38 |
He has been a USPTA certified tennis professional at the Elite Professional level since 1994. Ross was also the women’s basketball coach here at Calvin College until 2016. He recorded a 299-66 record and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal round. In his 18 years as men's tennis coach at Calvin, Ross has compiled a won-loss record of 260-138 in dual match play, has won two MIAA regular season titles, and has made one NCAA Tournament appearance.
Ross boasts an impressive record of 88-38 in MIAA action. He also helped lead Calvin to its first-ever MIAA title in school history in 2013. In 2024, he led Calvin to a share of the MIAA regular season crown and a trip to the MIAA Tournament Championship final. Calvin went 6-1 in the regular season to finish tied for first with Trine and Kalamazoo. In 2013, the Knights went 5-1 in the regular season to finish tied for first along with Kalamazoo and Hope. Calvin has finished in second place in the MIAA eight times under Coach Ross. Over the past 20 seasons, Ross has had 17 All-MIAA First Team honorees. In addition, his Calvin men's tennis teams have received the MIAA Team GPA Award (3.30 team GPA) 14 times.
The Calvin men's tennis program had the second-most wins in program history with 17 in 2018. The Knights landed two All-MIAA selections and finished second in the MIAA at 6-1. Calvin earned the top seed in the MIAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Coach Ross earned his 200th victory at Albion.
In 2017, the Knights advanced to the MIAA Tournament finals after upsetting Hope in the semifinals. The Knights recorded a record of 16-6 and a 5-2 record in MIAA play. Calvin landed two All-MIAA selections.
Calvin finished 2016 with an 11-6 record and a 4-3 mark in the MIAA. The Knights finished in second place in the MIAA in 2015. His team went 9-9 overall with a 4-2 record in the MIAA.
The 2013 season saw the Knights win their first-ever MIAA title in school history. Calvin was co-regular season champions with Kalamazoo and Hope with a 5-1 record. Calvin finished the year with an overall record of 14-6 and 20th in the ITA Central Region. Ross would coach the Knights to back-to-back second-place finishes in the MIAA in 2011 and 2012. Calvin would go 16-8 in 2011 to finish 25th in the ITA Central Region and 11-9 in 2012.
The Maroon and Gold went 14-6 in 2008, finishing 35th in the nation and 10th in the Central Region. He also has coached one ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American at Calvin in Ricky Tilton who was so honored in 2008.
His 2007 team established a Calvin single-season record for victories in a season, finishing 18-6 overall and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament. The Knights ended the year ranked 21st in the nation and 5th in the Central region. In 2006, the Knights finished 11th in the Central Regional and 40th in the nation with a 14-5 record.
His highest-win percentage came in 2005 at .842 with a 16-3 record. Calvin finished 5-1 in the MIAA and 15th in the central region.
In his first year at Calvin in 2004, he coached the Knights to a record of 10-7, including a third-place finish in the MIAA at 2-3. He also coached his first All-MIAA recipient in Kevin Van Haitsma, who later served as the women’s tennis coach at Calvin.
A native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, arrived at Calvin in the fall of 2003 after spending the previous four years at Earlham College. Ross was the general manager and Head Tennis Pro at Fox Cities Racquet Club in Appleton, Wisconsin from 1995-99. His club sent more than 50 players to the state tennis tournament during his tenure.
From 1994-95, Ross was a tennis professional at the John Newcombe Tennis Academy in New Braunfels, Texas. He worked with future tennis stars from around the world, including Lleyton Hewitt from Australia, who finished the 2001 and 2002 season as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. He has also served as a director of the Nike Tennis Camps at the University of Notre Dame from 1992-95.
Ross began his tennis-coaching career in 1991 as the women's tennis coach at Eastern Illinois University. Over a three-year period, he took the women's team from the bottom of the Mid-Continent Conference (MCC) standings to a second-place finish. In 1994, he was selected the MCC's Coach of the Year. Ross compiled a 55-24 record at Eastern Illinois where the student-athletes in his program had a 100 percent graduation rate and combined a cumulative 3.3 grade-point average.
Ross earned a Master’s of Science degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1994 with a degree in exercise physiology and has a Masters + 30 in athletic administration from Michigan State. Ross received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1990 in K-12 health and physical education.
