Darryl Cummings “Friends of Tennis” Fund
In Coach Darryl Cummings’ Memory, the Darryl Cummings Friends of Tennis Fund will support prospective collegiate tennis players globally, growing the game of tennis in the Hamptons Roads Community, and at Darryl’s Alma Mater, Old Dominion University.
Darryl was a rockstar. You never saw him without a smile on his face and a story to tell. Darryl was a founder of UTR, 7 Shot Tennis, owned Cummings Athletics at the Cape, and was a 25 - Year NCAA Coach and ITA Coach Emeritus.
Before any of his accomplishments and mentorship to so many, Darryl came from humble beginnings in the Tidewater area, losing his mother during his junior year of high school and meeting his father only once later on in life. Through his love of tennis and his dedication to the sport, it was tennis and certain individuals that helped pave the way for him to get into college and allow for him to have a positive effect on so many throughout the world.
The sport of tennis saved Darryl Cummings’ life, and he was motivated in continuing to help others in their pursuit of playing collegiate tennis and becoming the best player and best person they can be. The Darryl Cummings Friends of Tennis Fund will help transform lives through the sport of tennis and give potential collegiate tennis players an opportunity to fulfill their dreams of earning an education and competing at the collegiate level that they might not have otherwise. Darryl would want his legacy to be carried on by helping others through the sport of tennis.
Here are some words about Coach Cummings:
“[Darryl] doesn’t talk to talk; he walks the walk. He doesn’t just give his treasure. He doesn’t just give his talent. He doesn’t just give his time. He gives it all.”
“I have seen many coaches come and go, and Darryl sticks out in my mind as one of the great difference-makers I have known in our sport.”
“He epitomizes what a coach should be—someone who is concerned with all aspects of his players’ improvement and development, on and off the court.”
“He made ODU a national tennis power and his players went on to play in the Slams. A true innovator and leader, the game of tennis is better because of Coach Cummings.”
“Darryl Cummings grew to be an icon of tennis, but he came from humble beginnings, learning the game as I did on the public courts in Norfolk, Virginia. This is one reason he always felt obligated to give back to the game we all love so much and why so many of us want to continue his legacy by contributing to the Darryl Cummings Friends of Tennis Fund.”
“Darryl was everyone’s best friend. I looked forward to every time we spoke, as if we hadn’t spoken in years. His energy and passion for life was contagious and made everyone feel like the most important person in the world.”
“He always knew what to say, in his own way. He was a genius coach who loved and appreciated his work. He believed in me from the first minute he saw me on the court! Thank you Darryl! You were not only a big part of my professional career but also an advisor for so many other things in life and the most important, a very good friend who I will miss forever.”
“Darryl Cummings lived and breathed tennis. He brought the entire Hampton Roads community together over the game of tennis. He made a profound impact on the ODU Men’s and Women’s Tennis Programs and this endowed scholarship in his name will ensure that current and future ODU tennis players will remember Coach Cummings and his legacy.”