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Virginia Tech head coach Jim Thompson has known nothing but success during his coaching career. Thompson, in his 12th year at Tech, has led the Hokies to the NCAA Tournament five times, including the last three seasons. In his first season, Thompson’s Hokies advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history and recorded a 22-7 worksheet.
The 2009 season was Tech’s fifth year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Hokies battled their way through a rugged national schedule featuring 18 matches against ranked opposition. Tech ended the season with a No. 27 national ranking after advancing to the NCAA Second Round. Thompson’s success during his tenure in Blacksburg includes a record of 174-114 and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Thompson has served on the ITA Rules Committee and has been a member of the ITA Operating Committee since 2001.
Thompson joined the Hokies after spending four years as the director of tennis and head coach for both the men’s and women’s programs at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He guided the UTC women’s team to the Southern Conference Championship in 1997 and was named Coach of the Year. In 1998, he led the men’s team to the conference championship.
During a four-year stint as the head women’s coach at Anderson College in South Carolina, Thompson built a nationally recognized program which climbed as high as third in the nation. He was named Region X Coach of the Year in 1991, 1993 and 1994.
Prior to his time at Anderson, Thompson served as the assistant women’s coach at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Working under Karen Gaiser, Thompson gained his first experience with managing a nationally recognized tennis program.
Before entering coaching, Thompson competed successfully on the professional circuit throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and North Africa.
As a collegiate player, Thompson held the number one position on the Davidson College men’s tennis team from 1986 to 1988 and was captain in 1987 and 1988. In 1987, he won the Southern Conference Indoor Championships and was twice awarded the Southern Conference Sportsmanship award. During the summer of 1987, Thompson won the USTA National Championships in Augusta, Ga., in both singles and doubles and finished runner-up in the National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. Thompson’s success as a player continued after college as he achieved a Southern No. 2 sectional ranking in 1993 in the 25-and-over age division.
Thompson has been married for 13 years to his wife B’easy. They have a 12-year-old daughter, Sophia, a 7-year-old son, Frank, and a 5-year-old daughter, Ginsey.
