Working for the same employer for almost a quarter century might cause some people to shiver with fear. But for Northwestern coach Paul Torricelli, it is not only something he has done, but part of his life he is thankful to have experienced.
In his 23rd season as the Wildcats’ coach, he ranks behind only Paul Bennett as NU’s longest serving tennis coach. With Torricelli at the helm, the Wildcats have won one Big Ten championship, gone to the NCAA tournament nine times and have gone undefeated in the Big Ten regular season twice.
But Torricelli is more than his three Big Ten Coach of the Year awards and his 332 victories. He lives and breathes tennis and loves coaching at the collegiate level.
“The competition is amazing, but it can be frustrating at times,” Torricelli said. “But I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s all I’ve ever done.”
Torricelli started his coaching career at Chico State in 1977, and after six seasons there and at Lake Forest College, he was called on to be the interim coach at NU in 1984 on a recommendation from former NU coach Vandy Christie.
“There were four or five other candidates while I was the interim (coach),” Torricelli said, “and they were a lot more qualified. You have to remember where you came from, and I never lose sight of that.”
Since then he has built a tennis empire and groomed five assistant coaches into head coaches, as well as developing several great players to make NU a consistent power in collegiate tennis.
Even now, Torricelli has referrals from former players such as Todd Martin, the Davis Cup star who turned pro after his sophomore year at NU, to be volunteer assistants at NU.
Building relationships with his players has become a strength of Torricelli, who maintains an E-mail list and a comprehensive file on every player to come through his program.
“It is very difficult to duplicate the relationships between your players and ex-players,” Torricelli said. “They become like your sons.”
One of Torricelli’s newest players, freshman Andy Hoffman has begun to pick up on the wisdom of his coach.
“He knows what is in our best interest,” Hoffman said. “He is very good at the mental side of tennis and it is a real pleasure playing under him.”
Hoffman is just one of a new crop of players Torricelli has brought in this year. The aspect of injecting new blood into the program with different strengths and weaknesses can dramatically change the dynamic of coaching over the years.
Torricelli admits he is not the same coach he was five years ago and that the game forces coaches to reinvent themselves each year to adjust to the playing styles of new players, which is one way the job stays fresh for him.
“If you ask me after a win, I’ll say I want to go on as long as Joe Paterno,” Torricelli said. “I want to do it as long as it’s rewarding.”
Of course that is a long way into the future, especially as the Cats travel to Columbus, Ohio to play Big Ten-leading No. 7 Ohio State on Saturday. The Cats should hope Torricelli’s experience pays off this weekend for the regular season finale.
“This is a great way to make a living,” Torricelli said. “But its also scary, since you are being judged on the success and failure and mood swings of 18-, 19- and 20-year olds.”
Reach Brian Regan at [email protected].
