John Powless
John Powless (1932-2021)
Teams coached: Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin record: 88-108 (.449)
Overall record: 88-108 (.449)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1968-1976 | Wisconsin |
| 1963-1968 | Wisconsin (asst) |
| 1960-1963 | Cincinnati (asst) |
| 1958-1960 | Florida State (asst) |
John Powless Facts
- John Dale Powless
- Born August 24, 1932
- Died May 20, 2021
- Hometown: Flora, Illinois
- Alma Mater: Murray State University (BA, 1957) / University of Michigan (MA)
- Played football, basketball and tennis at Flora HS (IL), originally accepted an offer to play basketball and tennis at Michigan
- Transferred to Murray State, where he played both sports; was coached by Rex Alexander in basketball
- Was an accomplished tennis player, winning several OVC titles and going undefeated as a collegian in singles matches
- Powless was part of the inaugural 1965 class of the Murray State Hall of Fame
- Continued to play tennis after graduation, winning numerous national and international competitions
- Played alongside his father, winning five-straight national clay court “father and son” doubles titles
- After one season coaching HS basketball in Paducah, KY, Powless joined J.K. “Bud” Kennedy‘s coaching staff at Florida State
- Left FSU in 1960 to be an assistant coach under Ed Jucker at Cincinnati; also coached the freshman team for three seasons
- In his three years at UC, the Bearcats won back-to-back NCAA Championships (1961 & 1962) and were Runner-Up in 1963
- Arrived at Wisconsin in 1963, spending the next five seasons as an assistant coach under John Erickson
- Was also the Badgers’ head tennis coach for five years (1963-68), going 52-39 overall
- Elevated to head basketball coach in 1968 and helmed that program for eight years until 1976
- Went 88-108 overall, highlighted by two winning seasons (1971-72 and 1973-74); ranked as high as #13 in 1974
- Later provided color commentary during local television broadcasts of Badger basketball games
- Inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 for his contributions coaching both sports
- After leaving UW, he stayed in Madison and worked as tennis pro and director at Cherokee Country Club for three years
- Starting in 1979, opened and operated the John Powless Tennis Center in Madison with his wife, Sheree
- Played tennis for much of his adult life, achieving a number one ranking in the ITF for players over 55
- Named “U.S. Senior Tennis Player of the Millennium” in 1999 and inducted into the U.S. Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000
- Passed away in 2021 at the age of 88 following a battle with end-stage colon cancer
John Powless Coaching Tree
- coming soon
