CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In celebration of Black History Month, Harvard men's tennis is proud to honor its former assistant head coach Benny Sims.
Sims coached for the Crimson during the 1979-80 season, becoming the first African American tennis coach in the Ivy League when he was hired by Harvard. The Crimson posted a 13-4 overall record in 1979-80, including ending the season 9-2.
After his time at Harvard, he was appointed head tennis pro at the famed Longwood Cricket Club. Sims was later recruited by the late Arthur Ashe to serve as a National Coach for the USTA Player Development program. He was the first African American to hold both of these positions. Sims is perhaps best known for coaching Chanda Rubin, who holds seven WTA Tour singles titles. Sims was later inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019.
"I'm so glad we have the opportunity to honor Benny and his contributions to Harvard and the wider tennis landscape," stated Andrew Rueb '95, The Scott Mead '77 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Tennis. "He has been a pioneer in the game - breaking new ground as a black coach in college, the pros and even at a country club!"
Read below for a Q&A with Sims on his time at Harvard and the importance of Black History Month.
Q&A with Benny Sims
1. What was your time like working at Harvard?
My time working at Harvard probably represented without a doubt the most formative in my progression as a coach. I absorbed more knowledge while there interacting with the likes of the late great "Jack" Barnaby, one of his greatest coaching successes, Ned Weld and finally my colleague Dave Fish than at any other time in my career. The knowledge flowing forth about the game of tennis was amazing! Especially for one who had already achieved All-American status while in college and won a national title, the ATA National Men's Singles title (won by Althea Gibson & Arthur Ashe), before I ever received my first formal tennis lesson! So being immersed in such a sea of knowledge was of tremendous value. The situation was even more greatly enhanced by having the opportunity to work with such an unassuming, easy going individual as Dave Fish, who only made the experience the more pleasurable.
2. What are your favorite memories of coaching at Harvard?
Some of my favorite memories at Harvard were the daily visits of Jack and Ned to practice- Jack sitting up in the balcony 'chain smoking' and his running commentary on what was taking place. Also, Dave and Ned's discussions regarding maybe a differing view point (Ned was brilliant) regarding a player or his strokes! I would be remiss to mention how I was always reminded occasionally just how smart these guys on the team were. When traveling to, say Princeton, for a match or tournament, these guys would start "word games" on the Mass Turnpike, such as finding synonyms or antonyms for a given word and 1 1/2 hours later entering the Merritt Parkway they would "still" be coming up with answers! There are many others too numerous to mention.
3. What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month simply means giving recognition to so many others of African American origins, some well-known others nameless, who gave myself and so many others the opportunity for a better life than themselves. My being the recipient of a number of 'first', I am aware of their sacrifices perhaps more than most. Growing up in a projects complex that bordered a neighboring town that had one of the largest KKK presence in the South, I never knew why I couldn't sit in the front of a bus or sit downstairs in a movie studio; or why my mother could not try on a dress in a department store like I witnessed White ladies doing? It was only much later that after getting older did I realize the underlying reasons for these things. However, it was because of the likes of the Black teachers and coaches that I was surrounded by, and their teachings and their instilling confidence in me that I could achieve anything I dedicated myself to, that I never looked at the aforementioned slights as anything significant. I'm certain that there are many others like myself who share the same story.
4. Why is celebrating Black History Month important to you?
As to celebrating Black History Month in the context of sports, society, etc., I think it's safe to say that other than the sacrifices of notable Civil Rights leaders and so many others who were willing to lay down their lives for what they believed in, no other endeavor has been as responsible for fostering desegregation than sports. It has been the great equalizer, the only place where in the "deep" South you would find a Black person and a White person sitting side-by-side for a common cause. Consequently, we have seen the effects of this spin off into other areas such as politics and business. So, in closing, to not celebrate this month would, for me, be like campaigning for Martin Luther King's birthday to become a national holiday and that coming into being and then failing to celebrate it!
