Paul Torricelli's Bio
Lengendary coach and winner of 17 Division I National Championships and now Stanford's Director of Tennis Dick Gould said, "Paul’s wealth of recruiting experience and expertise make him an invaluable asset for any family. Navigating the recruiting process for the first time can be overwhelming. The advantage of having a coach who knows the ins and outs of every facet increases your chances of making a wise choice and having a positive college experience. I have known Paul for over 30 years and can’t think of a better person to guide a junior along the way.”
Former #4 world ranked Men's Tennis player Todd Martin said, "Paul Torricelli has played a tremendous role in my development as a player and as a person. Paul always put together teams that were diverse but compatible. His keen understanding of what an 18 year old is about to undertake as a college athlete will benefit any student-athlete."
Pepperdine University Head Tennis Coach Adam Steinberg said, “I have known Paul for over 10 years and have to say he is one of the brightest and best coaches I have ever been around. His professionalism and ability to relate to today's student athlete is unmatched and I would recommend any junior player to play for Coach Torricelli. A lot of my personal success is owed to Paul and I thank him for teaching me the true meaning of being a collegiate tennis coach.”
Paul Torricelli is the former coach of the Northwestern Men’s tennis team and has 30 years of college coaching experience. He left NU after 24 seasons as the winningest coach in the program’s history.
Torricelli's teams were consistently among the Big Ten's elite. His Wildcat teams had an overall record of 332-243 (.578), including a 158-108 (.594) mark in the conference.
He led the Wildcats to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, two undefeated conference seasons and a Big Ten championship while earning three Big Ten Coach of the Year Awards. Two of his Wildcat teams have reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
Over 30 of Paul’s player’s were named to the All Big 10 Conference Team and 57 to the All-Academic Team. His 2003 team was the first ever recipient of the ITA Team Sportsmanship Award.
In addition to team success, individual Wildcats have earned numerous honors in both the collegiate and professional ranks during Torricelli's tenure. Most notable of these is Davis Cup star Todd Martin, who turned professional in 1990 just after his sophomore year at NU. Torricelli had the privilege of watching Martin become a Grand Slam finalist, as well as a Davis Cup mainstay.
Other standouts include Doug Bohaboy, whose ATP ranking cracked the top-250 in 2001, and Alex Witt, who qualified for the main draw at the 2000 Queen's Club Championships in London.
While in Evanston, Torricelli has become a fixture in the tennis community. After 18 summers as head tennis professional at the Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, Ill., he became director of the Nike Tennis Camp held each summer at Northwestern.
Torricelli has been a certified member of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association since 1979 and he is a frequent speaker at teaching and coaching conferences throughout the Midwest. He has served as a tennis analyst for SportsChannel in Chicago during the U.S. Open and Wimbledon championships.
Paul has been certified by the USPTA and a graduate of the USTA’s High Performance Coaching Program.
Torricelli was born in Oakland, Calif., and raised in nearby San Lorenzo. He is a graduate of Arroyo High School (1969) and Chico State University (1974). Torricelli captained both his high school and college squads and began his college coaching career at Chico in 1977. After two years, he moved to Lake Forest College in Illinois (1980-83), before being named Christie's successor at NU in 1984.