Howard University Men’s & Women’s Tennis head coach Larry Strickland retires from his post after 35 years of service.
Hired in 1984, he was the men’s tennis coach and two years later asked to start the women’s program (1986).
Over five decades later, Strickland built both squads into one of the league’s premier tennis programs, winning a combined 12 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships (five men & seven women), including four consecutive men’s titles (1987-90).
“I would first like to thank what I consider to be one of our nation’s greatest treasures, Howard University, for the honor and pleasure of allowing me to guide its student-athletes for the last 35 years,” said Strickland.
His women’s team won three HBCU National Championships (1994, 1995 and 2015). In 2015, he was named HBCU Coach of the Year. Three years later (2018), Strickland was inducted into the HU Athletics Hall of Fame. “Without a doubt, one of the greatest honors I ever received was being named to the Howard University Athletic Hall of Fame,” Strickland added.
He coached over 150 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar All-Americans, including a pair of Rhodes Scholars finalists. Also, over 10 teams achieved ITA All-Academic Team honors.
In the community, the 11-time MEAC Coach of the Year received the United States Tennis Association (USTA)/ITA National Community and Campus Outreach Award during the 2011-12 campaign.
“Coach Strickland has meant a great deal to the growth of tennis in the African-American community,” said Howard Director of Athletics Kery Davis.
During his tenure at Howard, Strickland was a professor for seven years (1992-99) and was a tennis instructor for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation (1992-96) and the Joy of Sports Foundation (1997-00).
In 1969, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine art and physical education from Wilmington College in Ohio. Strickland was certified by the U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the United States Professional Tennis Registry (USPTR).
Former Howard tennis standout and the program’s associate head coach Nicholas Askew takes over for his longtime coach and friend, effective immediately, serving as Director of Tennis.
