Old Dominion, tennis communities mourn unexpected death of former coach Darryl Cummings – The Virginian-Pilot

Old Dominion and the Hampton Roads tennis community are mourning the unexpected death of Darryl Cummings, one of the area’s best-known figures in the sport.

Cummings died of a heart attack at age 59 Thursday night.

A former Maury High standout left-hander who grew up playing in local parks, Cummings relied more on touch and consistency than power.

He competed for Lees-McRae and then ODU, where he played for four years under coach Ken Rand, usually in the middle of the lineup but occasionally higher. Cummings was a member of the 1986 ODU team that set a school record with 20 victories against three losses. He won his doubles bracket in the ’86 Sun Belt tourney.

But after coaching in Franklin, he became best-known with the Monarchs. He coached them from 1992-2011, compiling 563-353 record in 20 years as the women’s coach and 17 as the men’s.

He was a six-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year, guiding 14 CAA Players of the Year, four Rookies of the Year, six All-Americans and more than 40 Academic All-Americans.

Some of his players later competed in Davis Cup, Fed Cup (now called Billie Jean King Cup) and the Olympics. Two of his ODU No. 1 players, Tzipi Obziler of Israel and Izak van der Merwe of South Africa, were in the 2008 Wimbledon main draw.

Cummings had a total of 20 NCAA qualifiers during his time at ODU, including two teams, seven doubles tandems and 11 singles entrants.

Perhaps his best-remembered team is the 2001 women’s squad. It finished 21-2, the Monarchs’ first 20-win season, won the CAA title and hosted early rounds in the NCAA Tournament.

“The news of Coach Cummings’ death is absolutely devastating for all of us at ODU. Darryl has meant so much to ODU tennis with his vision for the world-class Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center and his tireless efforts as our head men’s and women’s tennis coach for 20 years,” ODU athletic director Wood Selig said in a release. “Coach Cummings was a tremendous ambassador for ODU, ODU athletics and ODU tennis. His energy, support and enthusiasm each and every day for our programs, coaches and student-athletes will be greatly missed. Our hearts and support go out to his family at this time.”

After his ODU stint, Cummings later coached the men’s and women’s tennis teams of Norfolk State and Virginia Wesleyan, as well as working with individual players through the years. He was a co-owner of Cape Henry Racquet Club, which has outdoor and indoor clay courts in Virginia Beach, and joined his wife, Beth, in setting up and promoting numerous events.

Memorial arrangements are pending.