Longtime Haddonfield Memorial tennis coach Jeff Holman celebrates his 2,500th career win

Underneath a black cap with a red “H” on the front, a smile beamed from Jeff Holman’s face as he was greeted by his former players of the Haddonfield Memorial girls’ tennis team, who congratulated the longtime coach on his successful career.

How successful? Try 2,500 career wins across the boys’ and girls’ programs successful, making Holman, 73, the winningest high school tennis coach in history.

But being the humble person he is, Holman acknowledged their remarks and then asked about them and their lives.

Because that’s what it has always been about.

“As a coach or teacher, you’re always hoping that you have a positive impact on people,” Holman said Thursday during the girls’ match against Gateway Regional High. “Sometimes you don’t always see that impact until years after the fact.

“Sometimes you see people struggle when they’re in school, and then to see them later on be well-adjusted parents and professionals, and to think that maybe their experience in tennis played some small role in their current success, I think that’s really why any of us do this — to have that gratification of thinking that maybe what you’re doing is making a difference in someone’s life.”

Since 1976, Holman has been the girls’ coach and took over the boys’ team in 1978. Throughout his career, he’s won 1,262 girls’ matches and 1,239 boys’ matches. He’s also won 90 Colonial Conference (46 girls and 44 boys), 80 sectional (43 girls and 37 boys), and 39 state titles (20 girls and 19 boys).

After Haddonfield beat Gateway, 5-0, Holman’s total victories became 2,501. The school celebrated his success following the match at Centennial tennis courts. Holman recalled what it’s like to serve in the community that raised him.

For about 50 years, Holman has worked in the Haddonfield School District. He spent 11 years as an English teacher at Haddonfield Memorial, then took time off to earn his counseling certification. He came back to the district as a middle school counselor. After six years, he rejoined the high school in the counseling office in 1993, and has been there ever since.

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“I grew up in Haddonfield, played on this high school tennis team. Then after I graduated from college, I was lucky enough to get a teaching job at the high school,” Holman said. “I didn’t get a chance to coach tennis until I’d been teaching for two years.

“I’m loyal to the town I grew up in. I’ve always appreciated what the town of Haddonfield has done for my family and for me, so having the chance to work for the high school as a teacher, as a counselor, and a coach has been very gratifying.”

He also values education. Holman earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton, then got his masters from Temple, and later earned his certification from Rowan.

Even though Holman has been at the helm for more than four decades, not much has changed, he said. The only thing that has changed is him.

Holman has learned to adjust with the times and believes he has a better perspective of what’s important as a coach. During the first couple of years in his role, Holman prioritized winning and championships. While he still cares about those aspects of the game, he’s learned to connect with the players more to help them grow. He also runs a no-cut program.

“Winning and championships are still the goal for any sports team, but I think understand that maybe the most important thing you’re doing is not winning matches, but you’re contributing to people’s personal growth,” Holman said. “You’re helping them become more resilient, stronger people that can overcome obstacles.

“I try to make it fun for the players. If it’s not fun for me, it won’t be fun for the players. I try to be enthusiastic, energetic, and make practices fun. … If it’s fun for them, they’re going to want to keep on doing it.”

In his career, Holman has won three girls’ Tournament of Champions, and his favorite memory was the initiation of the tournament in 1980, when his squad won the crown.

That year’s group included Phoebe Figland, who currently serves as an assistant on the team and who played college tennis at Richmond.

Holman recalls driving the squad back from Mercer County, where the tournament was being held, in his van. The team was jumping with joy after winning the title and jammed to “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meat Loaf the entire ride home.

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“My 1980 team was the first team ever to win the Tournament of Champions,” Holman said. “We were a Group Two school, and we beat the larger schools. At the time, that team was so successful, it was a special group. They did something that no one in New Jersey had ever done before, so they’ll always have a special place in school history.”

Figland added: “That year has stuck with me forever. It was such a special time in my life, and most of the women on the team are still people I keep in touch with, and it just shows how much we enjoyed that whole experience.”

Holman would have never imagined when he took over as the tennis coach that he would write himself into the history books. However he looks at his number of wins as a program achievement, they wouldn’t be possible without the students who participated.

And as of now, he hopes to keep doing this for as long as possible.

“Retirement is not really on my mind right now,” Holman said. “My granddad and dad both passed away before they retired. They both were in the car business. … They both loved their jobs, as I love my job. There’s really nothing I can think of that I’d rather be doing right now than what I’m doing.”

When he’s not working during the school day or coaching girls’ tennis in the fall or boys in the spring, he runs the clock at the wrestling matches and basketball games. He’s also the judge of the school’s Shakespeare competition, volunteers to work school dances, and attends all the drama club productions.

Holman is much more than just a tennis coach — he takes pride in that.

“I work with great people at the high school; the teachers, the administrators, the other counselors. I’m proud to be part of that team,” Holman said. “If I can contribute to the school’s reputation in my own small way, that’s something that’s a big motivation for me.”