Cranston Native to be Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

A Cranston native and accomplished coach at Georgetown University will be inducted into the United States Tennis Association in New England Hall of Fame in June.

Gordie Ernst, who leads the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Georgetown, has been participating in competitive tennis for 44 years, starting as a junior player when he held No. 1 rankings in the New England Lawn Tennis Association In each of the 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-and-under divisions.

His father, a tennis and hockey coach himself, is credited with being a prime influence. So too was his mom.

“I really had no choice. If I didn’t play hockey or tennis, I would have been out of the house,” he said.

Ernst remembers his father driving to the rink or court. He also remember his mom doing the same.

“I really have to thank her,” he said. “Of course, my dad trained me, but my mom was the one who took me everywhere. We lived out of the station wagon all over New England so I could play in tournaments.”

Ernst recalled a particularly memorable Thanksgiving when he and his mom took a bus to Chicago so that he could play in a national tournament.

“We had no idea where we were. Twenty hours later, we met someone at a diner who was able to take us to the tennis court. I ended up losing 0-6, 0-6, and then we took the next bus back home,” he said.

Ernst’s passion for competitive athletics is undeniable. A natural-born athlete, Ernst was a two-sport standout at Brown University, where he played for both the hockey and tennis teams. In spite of being the 10th round pick in the National Hockey League draft, Ernst chose to relinquish his role on the rink and instead pursue his talents in tennis.

After trying his hand at various jobs in the business world, including a stint on Wall Street, Ernst, soon became curious about what a career in coaching might look like.

In 1997, he was hired as the Assistant Men’s Tennis Coach at Northwestern University, where Ernst claims he “got the coaching bug.”

With eight seasons of coaching at Georgetown under his belt, Ernst and his teams have boasted more than 130 wins and 100 Big East Academic All-Stars.

“I am thrilled to be inducted,” Ernst said of his impending inauguration to the Hall of Fame. “USTA New England tennis has done so much to shape me as both a person and an athlete. I am so appreciative of this honor.”

Ernst will join the ranks of his father, Dick Ernst, who was inducted in 2005.

The USTA New England Hall of Fame exists to recognize those tennis players and non-players in New England whose achievements as sportsmen or sportswomen are worthy of the highest commendation and recognition, or whose contributions as officials or individuals in a tennis-related activity have been so outstanding over a significant period of time as to justify the highest commendation and recognition.

The inauguration ceremony will be on June 6.