"He really embodies Loyola’s mission of caring about the whole person." – a Baltimore Sun profile on Rick McClure
Rick McClure recently concluded his 43rd season (2021-2022) with the Greyhound’s tennis program, having coached the men’s team since while monitoring the women’s team for the past 34 years. Entering the 2022-2023, McClure has coached in 1383 matches during his career at Loyola, which includes 460 wins with the women’s team and 378 victories with the men’s team for a total of 838 triumphs for the Greyhounds. The 460 wins for the women's program ranks him 14th in the nation among active Division I coaches and No. 32 All-Time. The 460-170 women’s record places him No. 12 among the active coaches highest winning percentage, .735, and No. 23 All-Time.
At the end of the 2021-2022 season, McClure’s coaching tenure was 2
nd in the NCAA Division I tennis coaching nationally for the most consecutive years at the same university. In the spring of 2015, $3.2 million dollars was anonymously donated to build an eight-court with lights tennis center which was named the McClure Tennis Center.
In the fall 2021 season the women’s team compete in four weekend invitational tournaments, hosting two while competing at St. Joseph’s Invitational and The Bedford Cup hosted by the University of Maryland. Loyola’s sophomores, Olivia Tracey and Anna Rico won the championship at our Loyola Classic before leading the Greyhounds to the program’s 33
rd winning season in the last 34 years with a 14-6-1 spring season record. The women’s team defeated Bucknell University 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Championship advancing to the semi-finals and 4
th place for the first time since joining the league in 2013-2014. Tracey earned Second Team All Patriot League honors and senior Abby Decker was one of six student/athletes named to the Patriot League All Academic Team.
Meanwhile the men’s team competed in four weekend invitational tournaments starting with the Villanova Invitational tournament followed by the Loyola Invitational and Loyola Classic and concluding at the ITA at Navy against many fully funded programs on the East coast. The men’s team finished our 2022 spring season with a 9-9 record with a 7
th place finish in the Patriot League with wins over Lafayette & Holy Cross. Senior Edik Pribitkin and sophomore Matt Cardano earned Patriot League All Academic team honors as Loyola had two of the six players chosen.
During McClure’s run at Loyola, where he has coached the men’s team since 1979 and the women’s team since the fall of 1988, The women have captured 8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002.. The last four MAAC titles earned the Greyhounds a bid to the NCAA tournament where they competed against 14
th-ranked Vanderbilt in 1999. 13
th-ranked William & Mary in 2000, 7
th-ranked California in 2001 and 6
th-ranked University of North Carolina in 2002. Loyola was the runner-up at the MAAC Championship in 1992, 1995, 1996 & 1997.
McClure’s coaching success, however is not limited to the women’s program. The New Jersey native has led the Greyhounds’ men’s team to the ECAC Metro Championship in 1985 and had second-place performances at the MAAC Championship in 1990, and 1991 and posted third-place finishes in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2003.
A 1976 graduate of the University of Maryland, McClure played for the Terrapins from 1974-76. His first two seasons of college eligibility were played at then-Mansfield State College in upstate Pennsylvania. He competed at No. 1 singles and doubles as a freshman and a sophomore for the Mountaineers and was a third-place finisher at the Pennsylvania State Championship his second season.
McClure also enjoyed a sparkling high school career in New Jersey. In his four-year at Phillipsburg High School, he had a singles record of 58-6 at No. 1 and was 30-0 at No. 1 doubles over his last three years. In 1972, as a senior, he was one of the top-eight players in the state of New Jersey. The Stateliners, as a team, were 59-6 from 1968-1972 while winning three Lehigh Valley Tennis Championships.
Before taking as head coach at Loyola, McClure led Northampton Community Area Community College men’s team in Bethlehem, PA for one season in the spring of 1978.
Away from his duties at Loyola, McClure worked at Baltimore Country Club as an assistant tennis professional for 5 years and has been the head pro at Hunt Valley Golf & Country Club and Eagles Nest Country Club. He also was the head professional at the Harford County Tennis Barn and started his teaching career at Perring Racquet Club in 1977.
In November 2003, McClure was inducted into Loyola’s Athletic Hall of Fame for his success as a coach and his service to the Evergreen Community. McClure joined Diane Geppi Aikens, Ann McClosky, Tom Murphy, Dr. Michael Ventura, Dave Cottle, Bill Sento, Charley Toomey and Legendary Emil “Lefty” Reitz as the only coaches inducted in Loyola’s Hall of Fame.
