Dave Borelli Leadership Award

Honoring the legacy of an outstanding leader in life and tennis

Dave BorelliThis award was created to honor our dear friend Dave Borelli who throughout his career was a leader and a mentor in life and tennis. Even though Dave passed away in 2023, his memory will always live in our hearts. Dave’s expertise and passion for the game were unparalleled, motivating countless individuals to pursue their tennis dreams. The legacy he leaves behind serves as a testament to his dedication and unwavering commitment to the sport. 

Dave Borelli was known not only as a coach but also as a mentor, friend and role model who touched the lives of countless athletes throughout his extraordinary career. Preserving his memory as a great leader in tennis and life, the Dave Borelli Leadership Award is conferred to a select group of deserving tennis professionals each year at the Orange County Community Tennis Association’s annual seminar. 

As the head coach of University of Southern California’s women’s tennis team from 1974-1988, Dave led the Women of Troy to seven national championships. He also coached at Texas Christian University and on the pro tour for the USTA. Dave served as the chair of the National Collegiate Tennis Coaches Committee, the Western Collegiate Athletic Association and the Pac-10 Coaches Committee and was on the board of directors for the Central California Tennis Association. He also served on the ITA and NCAA Southwest Regional committees.

The following tennis professionals have been selected to receive the Dave Borelli leadership award:

2026 Recipients:

  • Amanda Fink
  • Conan Lorenzo
  • Dave Smith
  • Joseph Lizardo
  • Marc Assaraf
  • Mark Fairchilds

2025 Recipients:

  • Gordon Zawtun
  • Hank Lloyd
  • Ken Schuler
  • Randy Houston
  • Steve Curtis

2024 Recipients:

  • Bob Hochstader
  • Brian Parkkonen
  • Dave Hagler
  • Frank Giampaolo
  • Karen Ronney
  • Ken DeHart
  • Mike Gennette

More about Dave Borelli

In his career at USC, Dave posted a 302-45 record for an .870 winning percentage. All seven of USC’s women’s tennis national championships were won on Dave’s watch. In 1983, he became the youngest coach to win an NCAA women’s tennis title at the age of 32 when the Women of Troy finished with a 33-0 record. Dave was named the 1981 NCAA National Collegiate Coach of the Year after leading USC to a 33-1 overall record and a third-place national finish. Individually, Dave developed four Women of Troy into national singles champions — Barbara Hallquist (1976 and 1977), Stacy Margolin (1978), Anna Maria Fernandez (1981) and Beth Herr (1983). In 1980, USC’s Trey Lewis and Anne White won the AIAW doubles title. In all, Dave saw 25 of his USC players earn a total of 56 All-America honors.

In his time with the Women of Troy, Dave saw the passage of Title IX bring USC its first female recipient of a full athletics scholarship in Barbara Hallquist, along with the transition from AIAW and USTA competition to the adoption of women’s tennis by the NCAA.

As an undergraduate, Dave played on the USC men’s tennis team, earning the USC Outstanding Senior Scholar Athlete Award in 1974. He began his coaching career while attending USC Law School, from which he earned a J.D. in 1977.

Outside of his collegiate coaching roles, Dave worked as a USTA professional tour coach, mentoring top-100 players such as 2004 Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish in their rookie careers. In 2002, Dave became head coach of women’s tennis at TCU, leading his teams from No. 56 to No. 15 in the national rankings through 2006. Coach of the TCU men’s team from 2007-2010, Dave returned as head coach of the TCU women’s team in July 2010 and retired from TCU in 2014. He was inducted into the ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010 along with Hallquist.

For more information about the Dave Borelli Leadership Award, or to nominate a deserving individual, please email riggstwins@outlook.com or call 949-232-9200