Rochelle Houston: Nashville native coaches at HBCU
The tennis courts at Hadley Park in Nashville, Tenn., play a central role in Rochelle Houston’s life. In fact, she may not have been born if not for those courts.
Her mom, Patricia, was learning how to play tennis at the park while attending college at Tennessee State University. Her father, Joe Goldthreate, happened to walk by during one of the sessions.
“He saw her and he joined the class,” Houston said. “He told the guy teaching that this will be my wife, and six months later, they got married.”
Houston, known as “Coach Nikki,” grew up playing on the courts and developed into a standout junior who starred at Florida A&M University. She’s now in her tenth season leading FAMU as the head women’s tennis coach and director of tennis.
Rochelle Houston, FAMU women's coach. Photo courtesy of FAMU
“It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to come back and coach at my alma mater. It was something I was familiar with,” Houston said. “Having the opportunity to help these young ladies not only develop on the court, but off the court as well is very rewarding. I'm still enjoying it, and hopefully I can continue to get good young ladies coming in here and to get the same opportunity that I got when I came on campus.”
Joe Goldthreate developed tennis programs in Nashville
Goldthreate, Houston’s father, founded the Hadley Park Junior Tennis Development Program in 1980 and was Houston’s coach throughout her career. USTA Southern was a founding component of Houston’s ascension in tennis.
“I played USTA Southern my whole life and my dad was on a lot of USTA Southern committees,” she said. “Even though I’ve been in Florida probably more than half of my life, I started in the south of Nashville and take pride in coming out of there.”
Houston started coaching at Hadley Park while she was still in high school and coached throughout her college years at FAMU (1998-2002) when she had time. Once her professional career ended because of a shoulder injury, Houston was ready to make coaching her full-time profession.
“Florida A&M was making a coaching change around the same time, and one of my former teammates was like, ‘Hey, the FAMU job is open,’ so I applied,” said Houston, who played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Rattlers and is in the FAMU Athletics Hall of Fame. “I was blessed to get the job a couple of months after I stopped playing on the circuit.”
Tight fraternity of Black female head coaches
Houston joined a tight fraternity of Black female head coaches in college tennis. They have a group text chain to support each other and share information.
“I think there are more Black coaches now then when I first started, and hopefully it will keep growing,” Houston said. “It’s still a small number, but I think we kind of help each other through our experiences, and we try to encourage each other to do better and get better.”
Nashville native Adrienne Clayton was a product of the Hadley Park junior program and was coached by Houston’s father. She ended up playing for Houston at FAMU.
“Coach Nikki gave me the opportunity to play on a full scholarship for five years (I was granted an additional year due to COVID-19) and obtain two degrees, which allowed me to graduate with no student loan debt,” said Clayton, now a coordinator for the USTA Pro Circuit. “FAMU is a storied university that's legacy is something anyone would be proud to be a part of. Her approach to coaching was one that took the pressure of results on the court off my shoulders as a player, which allowed me to play more freely.”
Houston is grateful to represent a HBCU as a coach and former player. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems, a master’s degree in sports management and was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
“The culture of HBCUs is what makes them so special,” Houston said. “It's a family vibe. Whenever you come back, you get the feeling of home. Even if you see people you didn't even go to school with and they see you with a FAMU shirt on, they're going to say something.”
Houston recently gave birth to a daughter, Brielle Annette Houston, and is returning from maternity leave this season to lead FAMU through the spring.
“I told the young ladies that they gotta help me get back to my pro shape,” Houston said. “I get very competitive with them. I definitely challenged myself, and I challenged them to get back out there and practice. I am hoping this can be a special season.”
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