Tennis in the Northland is a book about Minnesota’s high school tennis champions, and the coaches who helped them become successful.  It is a comprehensive 75-year history, beginning in the first year of state competition in 1929.  Featured in the book are narrative profiles of all the singles and doubles champions; sketches of prominent Minnesota tennis families, teaching pros, patrons, and media reporters; and stories about successful teams.   The book also includes stories about girls playing on boys’ teams before Title IX, dark horse teams such as St. James, dynasty teams such as Edina, and many fun facts about former champions.  For example, one future champion missed his streetcar and so missed the tournament his junior year.  Another is one of the creators of the play “Triple Espresso.”  Another had a tennis scorebook named after him, and still another was the lead prosecutor at the Charles Manson trial (and author of the book Helter Skelter).

About the Author

A baseball and basketball player at Sherburn High School and Augsburg College, Jim Holden was, like so many high school tennis coaches in the 1960s and ‘70s, an unlikely candidate for a tennis caching job.  Nonetheless, without any real playing experience or knowledge of the game, he reluctantly agreed to become the Northfield High School boys’ coach in 1971.  Despite some relatively lean early years, under Holden’s guidance the Raiders made five state tournament appearances – finishing as high as third in 1978.  IN addition, he coached 1976 doubles champions Andy Ringlien and Tim Ross and fourteen individual state tournament entrants (nine in doubles and five in singles).  And during a seventeen – year tenure his teams won 237 matches and lost just 82. 

Wanting to give something back to the game he came to love, Holden, and English teacher in his day job, decided to honor Minnesota players and coaches by penning this book.

What's being said

“This volume is a remarkable history of high school tennis in our state – a must read for all of us connected with Minnesota tennis in any way.”

-Jerry Noyce, former U of M men’s tennis coach

“Jim Holden’s Tennis in the Northland is the definitive and complete history of Minnesota high school tennis and will come to be recognized as the bible of Minnesota high school tennis.”

-Mark Wheaton, 1974 state doubles champion, 1975-76 state singles champion, and former U of M Player