Firestone tennis coach Craig Sampsell set to retire at end of 2023 season
Firestone coach Craig Sampsell smiled Wednesday inside Towpath Tennis Center as he reflected on his final City Series tournament that ended with another Falcons victory.
Akron Public Schools Athletic Director Joe Vassalotti called Sampsell the “tennis expert in the City Series.”
Sampsell, a teacher at Case Elementary School, has decided to retire as a head coach. He led Firestone’s girls program for the past 20 years and is in his 17th year guiding the Falcons boys program.
Akron Public Schools boys tennis: Reece Caraboolad leads Firestone to City Series boys tennis title in 2022
Sampsell’s Firestone girls teams won 159 dual matches and 18 City Series championships, and his Falcons boys teams have won 153 dual matches and 16 City Series championships. The boys did not have a 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firestone was set to return all seven of its starters off a team in 2019 that had a 15-1 record.
“I am going to miss coach, but he is my boss over the summer [at Fairlawn Swim & Tennis], so I am not going to get rid of him yet,” Firestone senior Reece Caraboolad said with a laugh.
“He is always on the side of the court, cheering me on and getting me through tough moments. He is always there for the team since day one. He is a great coach.”
Caraboolad won the City Series first singles championship for the second year in a row and was also named the league’s Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
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Sampsell coached Firestone graduate Shammas Malik, who won the Democratic primary Tuesday in Akron and is the presumptive next mayor of the city heading into the November election that does not feature a Republican candidate.
Sampsell coached Firestone graduate Christine Coffman, a Divison I girls state tournament qualifier as a junior in 2008 and as a senior in 2009.
Sampsell was Firestone’s JV boys coach when 2004 graduate James Daly made three Division I state tournament appearances in a row.
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Akron Community Foundation grant helps Akron Public Schools tennis players develop
Sampsell said five Sunday evening workouts at Towpath spread over January, February and March helped Akron Public Schools tennis players develop their skills.
“At the beginning of the season, the district got some money from Akron Community Foundation,” said Sampsell, the City Series Coach of the Year.
“All the schools received money for their tennis programs. With that money, we decided to pull it together and buy hours here at Towpath, and when we practiced it wasn’t ‘I will coach my team and you coach yours.’ We did it by skill level. On one court you have the new kids and say coach John [Jacobs] from Garfield, and then coaches Peyton [Young] and Brian [Batley] from North would coach the middle kids and I would coach the upper kids. Then the next week we would switch.
“We were always coaching different kids, and it was great for the coaches getting to know the different kids and for the kids to get to know each other. There were conversations with coaches and players from different schools and it was fantastic.
“[Towpath Tennis Center Owner] Dallas Aleman was instrumental in getting this started. He heard the idea and he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this. It is fantastic.’ We are hoping to continue to have this.”
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
Akron Public Schools boys tennis: Firestone wins City Series boys tennis championship in 2021
Akron Public Schools boys tennis: Spring sports spotlight: Firestone boys tennis at a glance in 2020
Akron Public Schools boys tennis: Firestone aces City Series boys tennis in 2019
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Firestone coach Craig Sampsell set to retire; APS benefits from grant
