Steve Clark is a nationally recognized collegiate coach, former All-American, post collegiate competitor, academician, talk show host, speaker and author. He has been entrenched in collegiate tennis as a coach and player for some 30 plus years, being well acquainted with all facets of what it takes to coach and mentor young student athletes toward excellence at the national level and on and off the court academically and personally.
His coaching ability to develop players and motivate them to new levels is exemplified wherever he has coached. As an All-American and #2 NCAA ranked doubles player, and hands-on coach, he knows firsthand what the athlete in student-athlete needs. In his first head coaching position in 1987, as one of the youngest head coaches in the NCAA, he took Chapman University to #4 in the nation (D2 at the time). At Texas Tech in (1992) he coached a previously unknown team to a national ranking and a victory over top 15 NCAA Texas for the first time in 30 years. And then in coaching UC Irvine for 14 tremendous years (17 total), beginning in the fall of 1992, he coached the team to national rankings every year (as high as NCAA 16) with numerous NCAA team and individual appearances. His teams had 2 Big West conference titles, 3 finals and 8 semifinal teams. He had players ranked individually as high as #5 in the NCAA and some years had all top 6 players nationally ranked. His teams had 7 NCAA team births and 3 individual NCAA Championships births, numerous wins over top 20 teams and numerous championships in their annual UC Irvine 16-team national invitation. Many of his players went on to the ATP tour, some reaching as high as 120 in singles and 3 in doubles. As a coach his players have played the likes of John Isner, Mike and Bob Bryan, Mark Knowles, and Justin Gimelstob, to name a few. Over the last 20 years Coach Clark has worked with many collegiate players individually and consulted with coaches and teams regarding team unity, positive mental toughness, practice dynamics, etc. He has directed numerous camps internationally as well as Nike camps (US Sports, Adidas), FCA camps, and UC Irvine Camps. He has spoken for coaching conventions, local student and youth groups, as well as the Mike and Bob Bryans’ Foundation running clinics and speaking to upcoming juniors on various topics such as goal setting, mental aspects of the game, etc. After coaching at UC Irvine, he has lived mainly in Colbert, WA and was the director of the Spokane Racquet Club for part of that time prior to finishing his doctorate. He also was the Head Men’s Tennis Coach at Eastern Washington University and taught pscyhoneuroimunology (mind, body, health and stress reduction) as an adjunct professor.
Coach has had success in producing winning teams in part due to his having recruited and developed successful student-athletes on and off the court. Academically, he knows first-hand what the student in student-athlete needs, having a Ph.D. and other advanced degrees). As Head Coach at UC Irvine, he had the most scholar athletes of any team at the time in the Big West conference at 99, multiple individuals voted as the Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year, and players that won regional sportsmanship awards. Additionally he recruited some of the best players in California, the nation, and internationally (e.g. top 5 USTA juniors, #1 players from various countries, and Junior Grand Slam level players, to name a few).
Additionally, Coach has enjoyed working within the community in which he coaches developing relations for programs and fundraising. He began the first ever athletic endowment at UC Irvine, fundraised nearly a half million dollars, and his players were involved in community outreach, speaking engagements, radio, and TV opportunities. Also, in the spirit of enjoying public relations to promote tennis, he has had tennis legends and personal friends such as Grand Slam legend Roy Emerson and the ever energetic Late Great Vic Braden involved in some of his events, in addition to helping his friend Wayne Bryan (father and coach of Mike and Bob Bryan) work with juniors at US Davis Cup events.
As a player, Steve was an All-American at UC Davis, making the finals of the NCAA doubles championship and a #2 NCAA ranking in addition to leading his team to the NCAA team competition in singles and doubles as well. He was a member of the Sacramento Capitols World Team Tennis, and while coaching at UC Irvine, went undefeated in Southern California’s Men’s Open doubles, holding the #1 ranking in that section. He also won open and tournaments in Southern California featuring numerous professional and former #1 ATP players while playing with his own players. Over the years he has enjoyed playing open level tournaments while coaching as well as playing in charity exhibitions with current/former touring pros and former collegiate players. As a consummate competitor and one eager for a challenge, Steve has also trained, competed, and won nationally and internationally in his martial art of Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan for which he holds international teaching status as a Kyo Sa.
On the academic and personal side, based on his published research, he has spoken to groups on fathering and their intentional involvement in their children’s lives. Additionally Steve has published numerous research briefs, articles, and reviews in peer review journals and has several articles in a recent education encyclopedia. He has taught numerous courses collegiately such as Ethics, Philosophy and Educational Foundations, and Pscyhoneuroimunology, as well as being a guest lecturer for classes such as Sports Management.
Steve and his wife of 30 years, Kelly, a former UC Irvine runner, have three children: Graham (16)—a talented one-handed backhand, all court player; Grace (15)—a budding designer and chef; and Joy (13)—a tenacious athlete focusing now on tennis. They currently live in Colbert, WA.