George Dieffenbach Position: Head Coach

Dr. George Dieffenbach has been involved with Pitt's tennis program as a head coach for the last 33 seasons, including 27 at the helm of the women's tennis team. Even before being named the program's head coach, Dieffenbach's ties with the University dated back to 1972 when he joined the men's team as a freshman student-athlete.

As a student-athlete at Pitt, Dieffenbach accumulated a competitive 32-13 singles record, which placed him in a three-way tie for 11th place for most singles wins. He also registered the school's 17th best all-time doubles record, finishing 25-19. After graduation, Dieffenbach continued to be active as an athlete and tennis player. Dieffenbach achieved USTA rankings at the district (Allegheny Mountain), sectional (Middle States) and national levels.

After receiving his degree from Pitt in 1975, Dieffenbach became the head coach of the men's tennis team. In 1980, he began assisting with the women's program, and in 1981 he became the head coach for both the men's and women's teams.

He concluded his tenure with the men's program with a 189-157 record and enters the 2008-09 women's season with the best overall coaching record in Pitt women's history at 278-233.

Dieffenbach coached the Panther men to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Eight Conference in 1980, which was also the first year he assisted with the women's team and earned his master's degree in secondary natural science education. The men's team finished tied for second in the Big East in 1985.

He earned his doctorate in science education in 1988. That same year both the men's and women's teams had winning seasons and his wife gave birth to their first child, Sarah. During the 1991-92 season, both tennis teams again produced winning records and his second child, George Miles II, was born. In 1996 Dieffenbach received the Allegheny Mountain District (AMD) Coach of the Year Award.

Last season, Dieffenbach led the Panthers to a 13-8 overall record, making last year the third consecutive winning seson. He guided the team to finish ninth at the Big East Championships, which ties for the team's second best ever finish in the Big East. Dieffenbach also guided junior Kristy Borza and senior Leah Friedman to their 100th win. Borza is the youngest and fastest player to become part of the 100-victory club.

In the 2006-2007 season, Dieffenbach Guided two Panthers to their 100th win, which were the first additions to the short list of 100-Victory Club members since 2003-05 seasons where one member of each graduating class accomplished that feat. This honor for Annie Davies and Carlie Smith, marked the first year that two individuals have earned this distinction. The Panthers also recorded their 300th win. Dieffenbach was at the helm for 265 of those wins.

During his time at Pitt, Dieffenbach has succeeded in graduating almost all of his athletes and believes that the growth and experience of a student-athlete should not be limited to the confines of campus.

"Competitive tennis can be a training device from which student-athletes can gain valuable experience from their work ethic on the court and apply these principles to their work ethic in the classroom," he says.

He believes that in addition to the educational experience that student-athletes have, they also need to be able to enjoy their time spent in college and competitive athletics.

"College should be an enjoyable experience," says Dieffenbach. "They [the student athletes] should work hard, pursue their degree, and get an education, and I believe that playing tennis can be an important part of that enjoyable experience."

Dieffenbach has laid a solid foundation for the Panther tennis program over the past three decades. It is a foundation that has been based on a simple philosophy that he has been using since his own days as a Pitt athlete.

He also believes that being a Pitt tennis player goes beyond the court and into the community. Each year the team focuses on community service including the Panther Paws Program, and a number of team members have been involved with visiting patients in Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital.

Dieffenbach believes that each student athlete should realize how fortunate they are in life, school and in their sport. Two years ago, the team established a fundraiser in the name of the NIKE Foundation during the Pitt-Duquesne dual match in the spring. This foundation is set up to help young girls in third world countries rise out of poverty. The team sent donations from spectators so that the NIKE Foundation could use education to train these young girls so that they may some day better support their families and children with hopes of rising above poverty.

"All of our student-athletes learn about life in their major and on the court," he says. "Both tennis and academics give them that competitive edge they'll need for the rest of their lives."

When he isn't dedicating his time to the Pitt women's team, Dieffenbach keeps himself busy in other aspects of the tennis world. He is a certified tennis professional with the USPTA and recently retired after spending 16 summers as the head tennis pro at Wildwood Golf Club in Allison Park, Pa. During the offseason, he has also spent many years teaching tennis in Jamaica and Aruba. Dieffenbach also attends Northway Christian Community Church in Wexford with his wife Emma, former tennis coach at Fox Chapel High School, and his two children, Sarah, a student-athlete on the George Mason varisty tennis team and George Miles, an offensive and defensive lineman on the Fox Chapel High School football team.

Dieffenbach has had the philosophy that people should make an attempt to be active and have healthy habits. He has tried to practice this in his own life through competitive tennis and running. Dieffenbach began his competitive running career at age 24 and continues to this day. Dieffenbach feels fortunate to still be competing.

Since 1978 he has finished 78 races ranging from 1500 meters to the marathon (26.2 miles). Among the races finished, Dieffenbach has crossed the finish line of 25 marathons, including a personal best 3:08.50 in 1979. He has qualified for and completed four Boston Marathons. In 2005, he qualified and competed in the 1500 and 5000 meter races during the U.S. Senior Olympics held in Pittsburgh. That same year, at the age of 52, he also recorded a 5:24.8 time in the Pittsylvania mile, ranking him 16th in his age group in the nation. He remains an active member of the West Penn Track Club.

Dieffenbach enjoys competing, but gains even greater satisfaction in helping his team as well as his own children to reach their academic and athletic goals. Due to his excellence in coaching, running and his tennis career, Dieffenbach was inducted into the West Branch Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 6, 2005.

In October of 2006 during Pitt's homecoming celebration, Dieffenbach was honored by the Pitt Varsity Letter Club as one of its six awardees of distinction.

Dieffenbach currently resides in Fox Chapel with his family and their cocker spaniel named Rachel.