Missouri Valley / St. Louis

Tom Rhoads, league captain for nearly 40 years, leads 16 teams at same time

David Smale | September 10, 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals clock that’s perched on the wall over Tom Rhoads’ right shoulder during a Zoom call attests to the fact that he’s passionate about more than tennis. But tennis certainly is one of his main passions.

Rhoads plays tennis several times a week. He is the captain of a men’s league team that won the 7.0 title at the 65 & Over Section Invitational in Overland Park, Kan., in June. It’s one of 16 teams that Rhoads currently captains.

Let that sink in. He captains 16 different teams at the same time.

Rhoads has captained USTA St. Louis league teams for nearly 40 years since he picked up the sport at the age of 29. He’s a really big deal in St. Louis tennis.

His wife, Barb, also captains several USTA St. Louis teams. Her 65 & Over 6.0 women’s team likewise won the Section Invitational in Overland Park to advance to nationals. She took up the sport 13 years ago after her husband encouraged her to do so. She saw the impact tennis had on his life and decided to follow his path.

He’s excited she is finding joy in the same game that he does. But there is a drawback.

“The only bad thing about it is that I lost my name,” he said. “I was Tom. I walked on a court, and people knew who I was. When Barb started doing her thing, she got very popular. She’s a very good captain. Now I meet people and they say, ‘I know you. You’re Barb’s husband.’ I think, ‘Wait a minute. What happened to my name?’”

Rhoads is actually quite proud of Barb, who he said is a better player than he is. They don’t play singles against each other. But they often play mixed doubles together and against each other.

“I’m glad that we can get along on the tennis court, too,” he said.

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The Road to Tennis

Rhoads grew up playing baseball, football and basketball in the East St. Louis neighborhood of Parkside. There was one kid in the neighborhood who was focused on tennis. He had a tennis court in his backyard.

His name was Jimmy Connors, the future International Tennis Hall of Famer.

After graduating from college, Rhoads turned his attention to competitive soccer. Then he got severed knee ligaments playing the sport at age 29, and the doctor told him he had to stop playing contact sports.

He picked up tennis. He’s played in more than 10 national tournament matches, 45 section matches and more than 100 district tournament matches.

Tom Rhoads (far right) has captained several teams that have won USTA St. Louis District League Championships to progress to the Section Championships.

Last year, Tom Rhoads led a 40 & Over 3.5 men's team to the USTA League National Championships.

Tom Rhoads has captained for almost 40 years and currently leads 16 USTA St. Louis teams.

Tom Rhoads (far right) has captained several teams that have won USTA St. Louis District League Championships to progress to the Section Championships.
Last year, Tom Rhoads led a 40 & Over 3.5 men's team to the USTA League National Championships.
Tom Rhoads has captained for almost 40 years and currently leads 16 USTA St. Louis teams.

“I have been in one national final,” he said. “That’s as close as I ever got to winning a national title.”

Besides playing and captaining, he’s also been on a rules committee for USTA St. Louis. In that role, he has advocated for electronic line calling. He plays out of the Vetta facilities — with his home club being Vetta West — and has encouraged Vetta to look at investing in the electronic line-calling equipment.

Rhoads also started a program called Early Birds, which utilizes courts from 6 to 7:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday all year-round.

“It became very popular to the point where we opened up a second session,” he said. “The club gave us the next hour and a half, so now we have two sessions. The first is from 6 to 7:30, and then 7:30 to 9. We are in our fifth year.”

Leading 16 Teams

As you can imagine, it’s very difficult for Rhoads to be at every match for all 16 of his teams. So, he cultivated many co-captains who perform the captain’s duties in his absence.

One event he did attend was the Section Invitational in Overland Park in June. One of the members of the team, Farris Jackson, unexpectedly passed away prior to the event. It clearly shook the team.

“Farris had actually played Early Birds with me earlier in the week, so it was a real shock,” Rhoads said. “I think it actually brought the team together. We recognized, ‘This is why we’re playing.’ We dedicated that tournament to Farris, and we won.”

That takes us back to the community aspect of tennis. The general public may look at tennis as an individual sport. But with team tennis, one of the challenges for a captain is to pair doubles partners who play well together.

“Farris was a real character,” Rhoads said. “He was good. He was positive. He had been a doctor for a long time here in St. Louis, and he knew a lot of people. So, I never had a challenge of finding someone who played well with him.”

Finding the best roles for everyone on all 16 teams can be a challenge for Rhoads. But it’s one he welcomes. To use a baseball analogy, practice times, like the Early Birds, are a great time to figure out which players not only get along but have complementary games.

You’re less concerned about the results and more focused on the progress.

It’s kind of like spring training for Rhoads’ beloved St. Louis Cardinals.

Learn more about participating in USTA St. Louis leagues by clicking here.

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