08/21/2026
Congratulations to SUNY Adirondack alum Rich Johns, who was recently named an International Tennis Association (ITA) Legacy All-American for his significant on-court collegiate tennis achievements and off-court contributions. Johns played tennis at SUNY Adirondack in 1968-69, a year in which he was the Northeast Collegiate Singles Champion, won the NJCAA Region 3 Championship and made it to the third round of the NJCAA National Championship.
Johns then transferred to SUNY Potsdam, where he was runner-up at the State University of New York Athletic Association (SUNYAC) Conference Tennis Title in 1971. He won the SUNYAC Singles Championship his senior year, the only tennis player from SUNY Potsdam to achieve a State Championship. He earned a spot in the NCAA Tennis Championships in 1972. Johns never lost a conference match in his collegiate career.
He went on to coach Saratoga boys’ and girls’ tennis programs for a combined 38 years before retiring in 2010. There, he led the Girls Varsity program to 17 league titles, nine Section 2 team titles and a Class AA record 85-game win streak.
In 2018, Johns was inducted into SUNY Adirondack's Trailblazers Society. (He earned the SUNY Potsdam equivalent, the Minerva Award, in 1997.) Among his many accolades, John also earned the USTA National Starfish Award in 2009, recognizing his “no-cut” tennis program; was Racquet Sports Industry's National High School Coach of the Year in 2010; and was recognized by Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation in 2010 for his distinguished-exceptional leadership and commitment to education and community service.
Johns is seen after being named a Trailblazer; holding the ITA Legacy All-American certificate; with Coach Lou LaGrand in the spring of 1972 after winning the the SUNYAC Singles Championships; after receiving the ACC Athlete of the Year Award; and with the 1969 Adirondack Community College tennis team.
