March 22, 1999
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Following Paul Scarpa's first season as head men's tennis coach at Furman University, a member of the 1968 Furman yearbook staff wrote: "The future of the Furman University tennis program seems destined for success since Paul Scarpa joined the Furman Athletic Department Staff." Thirty-two years later that statement still rings true.
What that writer did not foresee was that not only was the Furman University tennis program destined for success, but college tennis as a whole would also benefit from Coach Scarpa's influence.
Paul Scarpa, currently in his 33rd year at the helm of the Paladin tennis program and his 36th year as a Division I tennis coach, is one of the most well-known and well-liked coaches in the sport today. He is the third winningest active coach in Division I and on April 10 will become only the second person in Division I to coach in 1000 matches. Scarpa will be honored on April 10 during Furman's match against Georgia Southern as part of the "Paul Scarpa Day at Furman University" festivities.
Scarpa is known not only for his accomplishments at Furman, but for his contribution to the sport. His biggest accomplishment on the national level was in designing a new scoring system for the NCAA. In 1993, the NCAA began utilizing a new dual match scoring system - developed by Scarpa - in all men's dual match and championship play. Known as the Scarpa System, the format specifies that all matches begin with doubles play featuring eight-game pro sets and that all three doubles teams play for one team doubles point. The proven aim of the system was to shorten the time frame of a typical dual match, thus increasing overall intensity and fan interest - two elements that are hallmarks of Scarpa's Furman program. This system is currently in its seventh season and is now a fixture in the sport.
"Paul is a very innovative person," said former No. 1 singles player Ned Caswell '87. "He has probably had more influence on college tennis than any other coach in history. He revolutionized tennis with his new scoring system. He took a sport which was almost unwatchable because of the length of the match and made it exciting to watch."
Despite limited resources, Scarpa has had a tremendous amount of success in his 32 years at Furman. He entered the 1999 campaign with a 609-363 record at Furman and has enjoyed success over many larger, traditionally strong teams in his three decades of coaching the Paladins.
Scarpa has always valued the development and growth of his players both on the court and off. Ned Caswell is a good example of Scarpa's accomplishments with individual players. Caswell advanced from the bottom of the Paladin singles lineup to earn NCAA All-America honors twice as he advanced as far as the quarterfinals in 1987. Caswell was a member of the U.S. Junior Davis Cup Team and is a touring professional. There have been numerous other similar stories involving many of Scarpa's 170-plus former players.
"Paul Scarpa is an example of what is right with college tennis," said Caswell. "Today, coaching is more about recruiting, but Paul is more about developing players."
In recognition of Scarpa's accomplishments, he has been inducted into the South Carolina Tennis and Furman Athletic Halls-of-Fame and has been named Southern Conference coach-of-the-year five times as he has coached 101 All-Southern Conference players.
After 35 years of coaching college tennis, Scarpa continues to work hard and field excellent squads as his 1998 team cruised through the conference with a perfect 9-0 record. He has posted winning records in 29 of his 32 seasons at Furman and has had only one losing season since 1970.
For more information about Paul Scarpa Day, contact: Chris Colvin, (864) 294-3062