John Mullins

USTA National 2009 Grassroots Official of the Year

I have been a certified USTA official and a member of the Houston Tennis Umpires Association (HTUA) since 1982.  I have served as president of the HTUA board and, presently, I am vice-president of the HTUA board.  I have served as a linesman at professional tournaments - Virginia Slims, RiverOaks, and the Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston.  I haveofficiated college matches (ITA) at Rice University, the University of Houston, and Lamar University.  I have been in involved in high school tennis in Texas as a varsity tennis coach at La Porte High School since 1978.  At the high school level, I have officiated district, regional and state tournaments for the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) since 1988.  In 2006, I was named the Texas Tennis Coaches Association/Wilson 5A High School Tennis Coach of the Year. 

I have served as referee at adult tournaments in the Houston-Galveston area, but the most enjoyable part of my involvement in tennis is at the junior level.  I serve as the referee for junior tournaments in the Bay Area (Deer Park, Pasadena, La Porte, Clear Lake, and Pearland).  These tournaments include open junior tournaments, ZAT tournaments, Championship tournaments, and a National 12’s tournament at Deer Park.  I, also, coordinate a junior team tennis program during the summer at Strawberry Tennis Center in Pasadena.