HighFIVE: Scott Douglas

From Paralympic Bronze to Professor: Scott Douglas’ remarkable journey

When Scott Douglas won the bronze medal in men’s doubles at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, he threw his racquets into the stands and officially retired. While this was the end of his competitive playing days, Scott was just gearing up for his next chapter as a respected teacher and coach with more than 20 published peer-reviewed journal articles related to coaching expertise, coach development in parasport, and perceptions of disability. 

For the past 15 years, Scott has been a professor at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in the department of Kinesiology, Nutrition and Dietetics (Sport and Exercise Science) where he also coordinates the Sport Coaching Minor and Masters programs. 

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching, even during my competitive playing days,” says Scott. “After transitioning out of full‑time competition, I found myself drawn to education and athlete development. That path eventually led me to a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama and then on to UNC, where I’ve been fortunate to blend academics with athletics in a way that feels very natural to me.”

Scott’s introduction to tennis started in 1984 when he was student at the University of Utah. 

“I experienced a spinal cord injury from a skiing accident. There was a guy on the local basketball team, the “Wheelin’ Utes”, who rolled into my hospital room and told me about wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis. After I left the hospital, I attended a free wheelchair tennis clinic at a local club in Salt Lake City. I loved the game, but as a newly injured man with a broken back, I hated bending down to pick up the balls. So, learning to bounce the ball up off the court became more important than my forehand or backhand. Once I mastered that skill, I started playing in a local tournament each summer that offered a wheelchair division. I had one racquet, a slightly warped wooden Donnay. I lost in the finals that first year and then joined up with my opponent and now long-time friend, Mike Schlappi, to drive to Sacramento to play together in the national wheelchair tournament being held there. After watching, meeting, and being beaten by legends like Brad Parks, Randy Snow, and David Kiley, I was hooked. I made sure my friend Mike never beat me again.”

The combination of Scott’s competitive spirit, work ethic and natural ability led to a very successful career, including a No. 1 world ranking in doubles and No. 6 in singles. 

“Some of my best memories are playing doubles with various partners and winning Super Series level tournaments like the U.S. Open, British Open, and Florida Open. I loved playing doubles and in 1998 went undefeated with my partner and fellow USA team member, Stevie Welch,” says Scott. 

Playing tournaments all over the world allowed Scott to explore countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Austria, England, the Netherlands and Australia. He also played in numerous one-up/one-down exhibitions at places such as Madison Square Garden and Flushing Meadows with pros including Vitas Gerulaitis, Ilie Nastase, Rod Laver, Cliff Drysdale, Tom Gorman, and others. 

Not everything about Scott’s career was glamorous or easy, but he always fought past any obstacles. His first win over a top 5 world-ranked player came while battling a case of food poisoning. He says, “That win help put me on the USA national team and eventually led to a successful career on the wheelchair tennis tour.” 

A few years later, in 1998, Scott made it to the finals of the tournament in Hilton Head where he would play David Hall, then the No. 1 world-ranked player and future ITF Hall of Famer. He recalls “Dave was awarded Player of the Year at the awards banquet the night before our final and Dennis Van der Meer announced to the audience that I basically had no shot at beating him.” Fueled by those comments, Scott beat Dave in straight sets and collected the winner’s check directly from Van der Meer. 

In the midst of his competitive career, Scott developed a passion for coaching due to “a yearning to learn everything I could about the game to become a better player myself.” He earned his P1 Level USPTA certification, the first coach in a wheelchair to earn that level of certification, in 1992 and launched a successful career in coaching. 

“I enjoy teaching and helping young players develop and reach their “ah-ha” moments on and off the court. Tennis shaped so much of my life—discipline, confidence, resilience—and giving that back to others was important to me.”

Scott retired from coaching in 2024, but he spent the few years before that as an important part of the boom in wheelchair tennis in Colorado, including the development of several young players training out of the former Rocky Mountain Tennis Center in Boulder. One player, Tomas Majetic, stood out to Scott and the two developed a relationship where Scott served as friend, mentor and traveling coach, including Scott’s final coaching role at the US Open in New York. 

“I want to help produce Paralympic champions in the U.S. as we have not had an Open men’s player win a medal in the Paralympic Games since Stevie and I in Sydney. While you won’t see me feeding balls from a hopper any longer, I still consult and offer sport psychology advice to players. I truly enjoy watching players transfer what they learn in practice to a pressure-filled match against a higher ranked opponent - and play to their full potential.” 

While much of Scott’s life has been spent on the court, whether playing or coaching, he relishes his time in the classroom as he says, “My favorite memories are from teaching and mentoring future teachers in adapted physical education and sport. My stirring games of wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, wheelchair tennis and others are legendary at UNC. But ultimately, I really enjoy my students having the same ‘ah-ha’ moment that the athletes I coached have had.” 

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