Inductees
Jim Klousia
Talk about destiny. Because that may be the only way to describe Jim Klousia and the sport of tennis.
You see, initially, he turned down a college scholarship to play at Southwest Baptist University before having a change of heart. And then, after graduating and heading out into the real world, the sport just kind of started tugging on his business suit.
“After I graduated in the fall of 1975, I went to work for Burroughs Corporation (a computer company) in Kansas City. But then, after a year, I changed jobs and went to work for Colgate-Palmolive down in Jackson, Mississippi,” Klousia said. “But, honestly, I was really not happy in the business world and really wanted to get back into tennis. And so when the (Missouri State University) coaching job opened up, I took a huge pay cut, and took the job.”
Call it one of the best decisions for Klousia, who went on to become a highly successful coach at MSU and for Hickory Hills Country Club. That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Klousia with the Class of 2021.
Klousia coached the MSU men’s tennis program for 27 years (1977-2005), which made him the second-longest tenured coach in MSU history at the time of his retirement, and is in his 34th year as the Director of Tennis at Hickory Hills Country Club.
He guided MSU to 10 conference championships and was one of only two MSU coaches to win championships in three difference leagues: 1979 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association, 1982 & 1984-1990 Mid-Continent Conference and 2005 Missouri Valley Conference. The 1979 team finished seventh in NCAA Division II, and the 1981 team was 13th nationally.
Additionally, Klousia was a six-time Coach of the Year (five in the MCCC and 1993 in the Valley), and his teams had a 324-271 dual meet record.
This for an Ozarks native who took up tennis after watching ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and then, as a teenager, was a two-time state qualifier for Monett High School. He placed third his senior year.
In all honesty, Klousia assumed that would be the end of the road for him. After high school, he declined a scholarship offer to SBU and worked for Frisco Railroad. But SBU coach John Bryant wouldn’t let up.
“That did not deter John, though, and he continued to write me letters telling me about the team and encouraging me to get an education and enticing me with the idea I could play tennis while going to school,” Klousia said.
He enrolled in January 1972 and became a four-time NAIA District 16 selection for SBU, and played in nationals all four years. In fact, he ranks second all-time in singles wins (105).
Bryant had a terrific influence on his coaching career, too.
“John was the perfect person to teach me how to coach,” Klousia said. “He taught me that coaching was so much more than getting your players out on the tennis court and hitting balls. He showed in word and deed that true coaching is about relationships and that you show your players that you truly care about them off the court as well as on.”
At MSU, Klousia came to learn that each tennis player was different, that it was best to teach to their strengths. Recruiting-wise, he relied on word of mouth but also ended up playing against recruits in open tournaments
Transforming tennis players into team-minded players was “the hardest obstacle to overcome on my teams,” Klousia said. “When I could get my team to see themselves as a team first and as an individual player second, that’s when we had our greatest success.”
At Hickory Hills, he adjusted his coaching technique for younger players.
“The thing that I discovered about myself was that I enjoy working with the beginning junior just as much as I have always enjoyed working with the high-level college player,” Klousia said.
Looking back, Klousia appreciates the support from many, especially his wife, Elizabeth, and their son Micah, who played at the University of Nebraska. Charlie and Joyce Kimbro of Monett also had a great influence in his youth days.
“I don’t think I really intended to make tennis my life’s work, but it seems that every decision I made seemed to head me in that direction,” Klousia said. “I feel truly blessed that I have been able to do something I love for 43 years.”
