On Mar. 12, the Southern Tennis Foundation (STF), announced the establishment of the Paul Scarpa Scholarships, further cementing Scarpa’s colossal legacy on college tennis and the Furman community.
A Hall of Famer in the truest sense of the term, Scarpa successfully led Furman to 853 victories over the course of his 45-year career with the Men’s Tennis program, making him the winningest NCAA Division I tennis coach of all time. During his tenure, the Paladins won 17 Southern Conference (SOCON) regular season titles and 14 SOCON championships.
In the official announcement, Rex Maynard, who served as USTA Southern President & CEO and STF Chairman, described Scarpa as “a tireless ambassador for Furman, recruiting students and spreading the word about the university wherever he goes. He is best known for developing his players and bringing out the best of them both on and off the court.”
In honor of their coach’s long and storied career, many of those former players were key donors to the $60,000 initial endowments that established the Paul Scarpa Scholarships. According to the announcement, each $4,000 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating high school tennis player with proven academic performance and potential as well as a demonstrated financial need for assistance in offsetting the costs of college.
When Scarpa learned of the scholarship being established in his honor, he was surprised. “I am super honored. I had no idea,” he said on a video call with more than 20 donors, family, and friends earlier this month according to the announcement. “I’m really touched by this, believe me,” he concluded.
Scarpa’s legacy is also not lost on current Furman’s Men’s Tennis players. “When I think of Coach Scarpa, the first word that comes to mind is legacy,” explained senior Drew Singerman. He went on to say that “Coach Scarpa not only developed the high standards we still have in our program today, but he also revolutionized the sport of college tennis itself.”
Henrik Atlevi, another senior for the Paladins, agreed with his teammate. He said that at a program like Furman “you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself.”
Beyond upholding the high standards that Scarpa set for players both on and off the court, both Singerman and Atlevi listed winning the SOCON tournament as a top priority moving forward.
Currently, the team has an overall record of 4-7 due to a difficult non-conference schedule. But a big victory against conference rival UNC Greensboro in February and an experienced core of seniors leading the line bodes well for the Paladins as they approach the SOCON tournament, which is set to occur in Birmingham, AL on Apr. 23.
