All-American Monday - Jerry Moss

All-American Monday – Jerry Moss

Jerry Moss first started playing tennis at the age of nine at the public parks at Flamingo Park in his hometown of Miami Beach, Fla. Jerry found it natural to begin playing tennis after winning a table-tennis tournament at age seven and began spending much of his time on the courts.

Gardnar Mulloy, a former United States No. 1 tennis player and University of Miami head coach, began working with Moss and crafted him into a player who won the nationally-heralded Orange Bowl Junior Championship at the age of 11.

Moss rose through the rankings as junior, winning titles such as the U.S. Boys’ Singles Championship in the 15-and-under and 18-and-under age brackets as well as the U.S. Doubles Championship in the 18-and-under age bracket. Moss also became a member of the United States Davis Cup team prior to entering the University of Miami as a student-athlete in 1958.

While at the University of Miami, Moss was coached under the tutelage of Dale Lewis. Moss arrived at the University towards the beginning of an incredible men’s tennis winning streak at Miami, a streak which lasted from 1957 to 1964. The streak included 137-straight wins and still stands as the longest winning streak in collegiate men’s tennis to this day. Moss played No. 1 singles and doubles at the school, and boasted a combined singles and doubles record of 70-1 while at the University of Miami. Over the course of his collegiate career, Moss earned All-American honors twice and was also the team captain in 1959.

Along with Moss’ collegiate career, Moss also had a fantastic professional career in men’s tennis. One of Jerry’s biggest wins on the professional circuit came after he left UM, when he defeated Rob Laver, then-ranked No. 1 in the world, at the Masters Championship in 1961. Moss reached the third round of the U.S. National Championship (now known as the US Open) in men’s singles in 1954, and was a men’s doubles finalist at the same tournament in 1955.
After retiring from professional tennis, Moss turned his attention to working as a coach.

However, unlike most coaches, Moss focused his coaching on only two players in specific: his two daughters. After working with them through their junior careers, Moss’ daughters each earned a college degree through their work on the tennis court.