Bill Kingston made history on Monday when his
Moorestown (N.J.) tennis team blanked Burlington Township (Burlington, N.J.), 5-0.
Bill Kingston is the king of prep tennisnow, as he moved to No. 1 on thecareer victories list with 957.
Photo by Patti Cooper
That victory was No. 957 during his illustrious 38-year career and made him the winningest tennis coach in high school history. He has lost 171 matches. His teams also have captured 12 state championships.
The previous record was 956 wins by longtime rival and friend Ralph Ipri of East (Cherry Hill, N.J.). Ipri retired last year.
"It's a bit overwhelming," Kingston told MaxPreps. "People have given more recognition to it than I ever thought, so it's kind of humbling."
Kingston actually played tennis and basketball at Moorestown before transferring to Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.) for his final two years. He then played basketball at Princeton University where he (and four others) roomed with future U.S. Senator Bill Bradley for three years.
He returned to Moorestown to coach basketball for six years.
When the school needed a tennis coach in 1974, he stepped in because of his friendship with standout player Dave Makel and the rest is history.
"That was back in the day when the racquets were wood and the balls were white," he laughed.
The 68-year-old coach has no immediate plans for retirement, noting that he will continue to coach "in the near future for sure."
