Greenwood, SC
Inducted December 3, 1994
DR. JOE CABRI BEGAN COACHING AT LANDER UNIVERSITY IN 1974. A MATHEMATICS PROFESSOR AT LANDER, HE KNEW LITTLE ABOUT TENNIS AND EVEN LESS ABOUT COACHING. HE READ BOOKS, ATTENDED CLINICS & WORKSHOPS, & BEGAN TO BUILD ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST SUCESSFUL MEN’S PROGRAMS.
BY 1982 HIS TEAM FINISHED FIRST IN DISTRICT SIX & FOURTH IN THE NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPONSHIPS. THE DYNASTY HAD BEGUN, & BETWEEN 1982 & 1992 LANDER NEVER FINISHED LOWER THATN SEVENTH IN THE NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. THEY FINISHED SECOND IN 1983 & 1986 AND WON THE NATIONAL TITLE FOUR TIMES IN 1985, 1988, 1991, & 1992.
DURING THIS PERIOD HE WAS NAMED NAIA DISTRICT SIX COACH OF THE YEAR SIC TIMES, PENN/NAIA COACH OF THE YEAR THREE TIMES & ITCA/WILSON COACH OF THE YEAR THREE TIMES. HIS TEAMS WON DISTRICT SIX CHAMPIONSHIPS 12 STRAIGHT YEARS FROM 1981 THROUGH 1992. HE COACHED 67 NAIA ALL-DISTRICT SIX PLAYERS & 28 NAIA ALL-AMERICANS. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NAIA HALL OF FAME IN 1993.
LANDER MOVED TO NCAA DIVISION II IN 1993. CABRI AND HIS SENATORS CONTINUED THEIR DOMINANCE, WINNING NATIONAL CHAMPOINSHIPS IN 1993, 1994, & 1995. THIS COMBINED WITH HIS NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1991 & 1992 GIVES HIS UNPRECEDENTED FIVE CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
CABRI AND HIS PLAYERS HAVE ALSO HAD OUTSTANDING RESULTS IN THE CLASSROOM. HE HAS SERVED ON LANDER’S FACULTY COUNCIL, FACULTY SENATE, GOVERNANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE, & THE TENURE & PROMOTION COMMITTEE. HE HAS SERVED AS CHARIMAN OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FACULTY CHAIRS. ONLY ONE PLAYER (WHO WENT ON THE PRO CIRCUIT) HAS FAILED TO GRADUATE IN HIS 21 YEARS, AND A NUMBER HAVE GONE ON TO GRADUATE SCHOOL.
HE HAS SERVED THE GREENWOOD & SOUTH CAROLINA TENNIS COMMUNITY WELL. HIS TEAMS CONDUCTED TWICE-A-WEEK CLINICS FOR JUNIOR PLAYERS FOR FIVE YEARS DURING THE 1980’S, AND THEY CONTINUE TO CONDUCT SEVERAL CLINICS EACH YEAR FOR BOTH JUNIORS & ADULTS. CABRI ALSO SERVED AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE 1987 & 1988 SOUTH CAROLINA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, WHICH WERE HELD IN GREENWOOD.
