Jan. 11, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
Former Illinois State men's tennis player and coach James V. Whitman passed away Friday morning at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. Whitman, 65, was an all-conference player for the Redbirds all four years at Illinois State from 1963-67.
Among his many accolades, Whitman was named the men's tennis Most Valuable Player twice and won three conference singles titles while competing for the Redbirds. In 1972, he returned to Illinois State as the men's tennis head coach where he spent 14 seasons with the Redbirds. He also was the women's tennis coach from 1983-85. Whitman went on to become the first head tennis professional at the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington.
In 1981 Whitman was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame.
His full obituary can be found online HERE courtesy of The Pantagraph.
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