University of Tennessee Athletics
Former Vol Rodney Harmon Appointed to PTR President
February 22, 2018 | Men's Tennis
Former University of Tennessee tennis player and NCAA doubles champion Rodney Harmon has been appointed to President of the Professional Tennis Registry.
Harmon, who attended Tennessee during the 1979-80 season, becomes the first African American male to become President of a major tennis organization in the United States. He previously served as the head coach of the Georgia Tech Lady Yellow Jackets since 2012.
"I am humbled and honored to serve as PTR President, following such tennis pioneers as Dennis Van der Meer, Jean Mills, Jorge Andrew and Roy Barth," Harmon said in an interview with the registry. "PTR is an organization that is dedicated to 'Making a World of Difference' in the professional lives of its members and in the sport of tennis. I look forward to further raising the profile of our profession, while attracting a young, passionate and diverse group of coaches to our industry."
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Harmon came to Knoxville as one of the most highly recruited freshman in the nation. In his lone campaign at UT, he was able to leave a mark on the program in a way very few players to grace the court have.
In singles, Harmon compiled a 35-7 record and finished the year at 10th in the national singles rankings. He captured the SEC No. 2 singles title, before advancing to the semifinals of the 1980 NCAA championships.
As many recall, however, Harmon's greatest impact in the Orange and White came while playing at the No. 1 doubles position with partner Mel Purcell. The two set themselves apart from the competition, finishing the season with a 33-2 record, good for the third-most wins in a season in program history. Their final winning percentage of .943 remains the single-season record at Tennessee.
After taking both the SEC Indoor and SEC Championship titles, Harmon and Purcell entered the NCAA championships as the nation's top-ranked pairing. They were able to reach the final, where they faced Trinity's Tony Giammalva and Johnny Benson. In the final, the pair capped off their dream season with a 7-6, 7-6 victory to win Tennessee's first doubles national championship.
After earning All-American honors in 1980, Harmon transferred to Southern Methodist University, where he once again advanced to the NCAA singles semifinals in 1983. Following his successful collegiate career, Harmon played professionally where he reached a career-high ranking of 56 on the ATP Tour.
Since he retired from playing, Harmon has left a legacy at multiple organizations, including the USTA, where he spent time as a National Coach as well as Director of Men's Tennis. In 2008, he served as the head coach of the U.S. Men's Tennis team at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
In February of 2010, Harmon became the sixth Volunteer to be inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, following then-assistant and current head coach, Chris Woodruff.
During his tenure at Georgia Tech, Harmon was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2017. The Lady Yellow Jackets are currently ranked No. 7 in the nation.
