First there was Martin Heath at Rochester. Now there’s John White taking the reigns of the Men’s and Women’s squash teams at Franklin & Marshall. Yep, former World No. 1 Whitey took up residence with F&M on Oct. 1.
“It happened very quickly,” said White. “Chris Walker knew I was looking in the area (Philadelphia) if a good opportunity came up. I didn’t want to move the family (wife and four kids) out of the state again. Chris said F&M were looking so I checked it out.” After contacting the President of the school, John Fry, White had his first interview followed shortly thereafter by a second with the Athletic Director, Patricia Epps, and he signed on the dotted line after just two-and-a-half weeks.
“I told them I was coming toward the end of my career and what I’ve been doing with kids at Berwyn Squash,” White explained. “The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect considering where I am with my career. And because it’s just 45 minutes from home, I’ll be able to spend more time with my family.”
Though he says he’s nearing the end of his playing days, White still plans to play events in North America like the US Open and the Tournament of Champions. And he is looking forward to playing the World Open in Manchester next year. And White has designs on hosting camps over the summer at F&M too.
“I’ll also have plenty of help during the season from John Stallings (former Men’s coach) and Ron Epps (former Women’s coach) who are staying on board as assistants,” said White. “They’re happy to help not only with the players but also with the administration, recruiting and other stuff. There’s a lot of paperwork I’ve gotta get used to.”
