Brian Jackson returned to Pacific to become the interim head men's tennis coach in January of 2022.
Jackson was the head coach for the Boxers men’s program for nine years while spending the four seasons at the helm of the women's program.
For both teams, as the director of tennis, he to built the Boxers programs into contenders in the Northwest Conference and beyond. Beginning in 2016-17, Traci Binder took over the women's tennis program and Jackson would remain the leader of the men's team.
For the men, Jackson led the Boxers to five straight NWC tournament appearances. Pacific won 48 matches over a three-year span (48-14) and reached the NWC tournament championship match all three of those years (2014-2016).
In 2016, the Boxers went 18-4, setting a school record for most wins in a season. They finished the year ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III west region and were listed 29th nationally. They were 11-1 in conference action.
In 2015, Pacific went 15-6 overall and 10-2 in league play. All six losses came to teams that were nationally ranked. The Boxers lost in the NWC finals to Whitman, and placed three players on the First Team All-NWC squad.
In 2014, Jackson was named the NWC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year after leading the Boxers to their best record (at the time) in school history. The Boxers finished the season with a 15-4 record and were second in the NWC with an 11-1 mark. The year included a dominant 5-2 victory over Division I Portland State to open the season as the Boxers lost just three matches prior to the NWC Tournament.
The season was capped with two Pacific selections to the First Team All-NWC Team. In addition, four Pacific tennis players were named Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III Scholar-Athletes.
Jackson became the men’s head coach in 2007 and promptly turned the program around. After previously winning only one match in three seasons, the Boxers went 7-13 in 2009 and also won four conference matches.
The women’s program also continued to improve. After a two-win season in 2014 (and a First Team All-NWC selection in Kaitlyn Lomatire), the Boxers went 6-10 in 2015 with two First Team pics: Lomatire and Jelena Vidovic. In 2016, they picked up one more victory (7-10), were 5-7 in the NWC and landed Lomartire and Danielle du Plooy to the all-conference squad.
“Our long-term goal is to have the best tennis program in the Northwest Conference, with both teams competing for conference titles every year,” he continued. “With the great support we are receiving from the University and community, I believe we have the potential to do just that.”
Jackson also works as an associate professor in Pacific’s Kinesiology department and also serves as the Coordinator of the Sport Leadership & Management program.
Jackson brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Pacific tennis programs. Jackson played four years of NCAA Division I tennis at UNC Wilmington. He was the team captain in 1997 and was selected that year as the team’s most valuable player.
Upon graduation, Jackson spent two years as an assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach at East Carolina University while pursuing his master’s degree. He has also coached for the Atlantic Coast Athletic Club in Charlottesville, Va., and has served as a visiting professional at both the Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen, Va., and the Skagen Tennis Club in Denmark. Jackson once held professional teaching certification through the U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA).
Jackson earned his undergraduate degree from UNC Wilmington in 1997. He graduated with a master’s degree in exercise and sports sciences from East Carolina in 1999 and received his Ph.D. in Kinesiology, with an emphasis in motor learning and sports psychology, from the University of Virginia in 2004, with an emphasis in motor learning. He has published on various aspects of motor behavior and has consulted with both individual athletes and teams in the areas of peak performance.
