A Coach of Coaches – Celebrating Butch Staples

The Heart of the Game

 

There is no one more deserving of recognition in this space than Butch. He would, of course, completely disagree with that, but that’s what makes him who he is.

 

Tennis is a people business, but Butch takes it one step further. He’s spent a lifetime truly caring about people, and that’s reflected by the countless players, coaches and parents he has influenced. Whether you’ve spent 10 minutes with him or 10 months, Butch leaves a profound impact on everyone he comes across, and we’re all better for it.

 

When people in the tennis industry reach a certain level, you only need to use their first name for everyone to know who you’re talking about. Andre, Serena, Roger, Venus… Butch.  About the only thing in the game he hasn’t done is win grand slams, but he’s still on a first-name basis with all of us.

 

 

He Opened the World of Coaching to Me

 

When I first met Butch, I was 20 or 21 years old. He hired me to work at Matchpoint Tennis Camp at the Grey Rocks Hotel in Quebec. I was one of the tennis camp counselors, but quickly he saw something in me and gave me extra responsibilities. One of the first was to be the tennis director of a big junior tournament with 350 players. He was right beside me showing me every step along the way.

 

It wasn’t too long before he gave me a promotion to assist the director of the camp. I was organizing all the trainings and managing 12 courts. He made my first official tennis job a very positive experience because he was there supporting me and mentoring me at the same time.

 

After the first summer, he registered me for the next coaching courses, which I probably never would have done on my own. I didn’t even know there were different levels of certification. He just registered me, sent me to conferences and opened the whole world of coaching for me.

 

He definitely was instrumental in me being in tennis today. He was my first mentor.

 

He Made Us Better People

 

He helped us become better coaches by becoming better people. Our professional development training with him was much more about that than on-court skills. He sees your strengths, your identity, and he builds you around them, the same way you would with a player.

 

I always feel like I’m the only one he’s inspired, but I meet so many people who have the exact same story and say, “If it weren’t for Butch, I wouldn’t be here today.”

 

Every time you see him, you feel that you belong, that you have a place there. He genuinely loves people, cares about them and wants to help, support and guide them.

 

He’s one of the greatest mentors we’ve had in tennis.

He Prompted a Transformation in Me

 

I met Butch when he was on a cross-Canada tour to help tennis directors understand a new coaching methodology. He came across as very knowledgeable and very approachable.

 

The first event that Butch ever engaged me to do fell through because of a series of unfortunate circumstances, at great cost to the organization. It would have been reasonable to never use me again. But he supported me, believed in me and continued not only to work with me but to promote my work to other people.

 

That really showed his character. He’s a supporter of people and it wasn't just about the material or the information or the cost.

 

He Changes the Way People Think

 

From my first meeting with Butch, I was inspired to change the way I thought about tennis and the way I coached tennis. He really did prompt a transformation in me. His unwavering belief in me has always been motivation for me to continue to grow because he is such a great example of a lifelong learner.

 

He’s the kind of leader that directly influences paradigm shifts. Few leaders have that kind of world-transforming impact. And he does it through relationships, not just imparting information.

He Was Born to Coach

 

Butch was working for Dennis Van der Meer, an industry legend known as the coach of coaches, when I first met him around the early ’90s. Butch stood out because he’s brilliant and also very humble. All he wanted to do was make everyone, including me, incredibly comfortable.

 

My first reaction was that he’s not a normal person. He’s very special.

 

Above all his professional success, what stands out most about Butch is how much he cares. He’s always been thoughtful in the smallest ways that most people would never even think about. As much as we’ve worked and traveled together, I’ve never heard Butch say an unkind word about anyone.

 

Coaching Is His Calling

 

He was born to coach. It’s his calling, and he puts his heart and soul into it. Even if he’s just having a conversation with someone, he’s coaching. He never tells you, “This is what you need to do.” He asks open-ended questions, dances around it and suddenly you understand that he knew the answer and wanted you to get there yourself.

 

I’m very selective with who I consider heroes, and Butch is one of them.

 

Butch’s greatest legacy is coaching coaches on how to coach. He’s the kindest man who cares more about people and sharing knowledge than anyone I know. 

 

He’s a humble giant who has made coaching a noble and sacred profession.

Never Stop Learning – The Blueprint of a Master Coach

 

When you look across the sports world, countless people hold the title of “Coach.” But then there are those rare individuals who embody what that word truly means, the ones who don't just teach the game, but transform lives. For so many coaches, Butch is that standard.

 

I first realized Butch was built different during my early days at the Van der Meer Tennis Academy. Watching him run TennisUniversity was a masterclass, not just in coaching skills, but in human connection. He captivated coaches, blending deep expertise with a warmth that made every coach and athlete feel seen. He quickly became the ultimate coach’s coach and one of the defining mentors of my career.

 

Butch taught me that real leadership never requires the spotlight. It means leading from the ground up: never placing yourself above anyone else, never asking a team member to do a job you wouldn’t do yourself, and, as his iconic email signature always reminds us, keeping a smile on your face through it all.

 

He leads by example in everything he does. Back when I was a hungry young coach, I used to challenge myself to be the first one to arrive at the club. I started coming in earlier and earlier, setting my alarm for ridiculous hours, only to pull up every single morning and see that Butch was already there. When I finally asked him the secret, “How do I get to where you are one day?”, his advice was simple, timeless and has driven me ever since: Never stop learning. Attend every coaching course you can, and never turn down an opportunity to grow.

 

That relentless drive to learn, combined with an infectious optimism and a deep respect for the game, is why Butch’s legacy reaches so far beyond the court. He reminds all of us what a privilege it is to work with athletes and be called a “Coach.”

 

My career, and the careers of countless coaches across the country, would look entirely different without Butch's influence. We are all part of a long, proud line of people who found their confidence, their joy and their path to success because Butch saw potential in us and poured his own time and heart into making us better.

 

Thank you, Butch, for instilling a passion that continues to drive me today!

He Invests More in Others

 

I met Butch when we were both working at Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago. He was the racquet sports director at the time, and from the beginning, I was in awe of him. His work ethic and dedication were remarkable. He was here at 6:00 a.m. and he was here at 10:00 p.m. He was part of the spirit of everything that happened here. It wasn’t because of a lack of trust. It was because of how much he cared. He was so engaged as sort of the spiritual leader of everything.

 

He Sees What People Can Become

 

Butch sees the potential in everyone, even when they may not fully see it in themselves. He invests more in others than they do in themselves in many cases. If somebody’s not matching your energy to make them better, it’s easy to say, “OK, you’re on your own.” But he invested in others to an extent that often exceeded what they were investing in themselves.

 

He advocated for me when he was moving on and I was assuming his role. I’ve changed the way I coach and the way I approach my work because of his example.

 

I think his influence is going to last for generations.

 

And everybody knows Butch is legendary for his dad jokes. Every time he gets up in front of a group of people, you know the dad joke is coming within the first five minutes.