TEMPE, Ariz. (April 28, 2025) … Longtime Hampton University head tennis coach Dr. Robert Screen was announced today by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as one of four members of the first Posthumous Class of 2025 for the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame.

"We are filled with immense pride and joy as we celebrate Dr. Robert Screen's induction into the ITA Hall of Fame. This honor is a testament to his extraordinary achievements on the court and the profound and lasting impact he has made on generations of student-athletes, coaches, and the entire Hampton University community." said Hampton University Director of Athletics Anthony D. Henderson, Sr.

"We look forward to honoring the lasting legacy of those whose passion, perseverance, and profound contributions helped shape the very foundation of college tennis," ITA CEO David Mullins said. "Though no longer with us, their spirit lives on in every match played, every student-athlete mentored, and every moment of excellence they inspired. It is with deep gratitude and admiration that we induct them posthumously into the ITA Hall of Fame — forever a part of the sport they so deeply enriched."

The ITA Men's Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1983 and since, has inducted more than 270 players, coaches, and contributors. Players are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame 10 years after the conclusion of their participation on the team and once they are no longer playing on the pro tour. Coaches are eligible immediately following retirement. The main criteria for election includes college accomplishments and honors earned after college. 

These individuals are now officially inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Hall of Fame and will be celebrated throughout the year. Family members of these inductees will be invited to attend the 2026 ITA Men's Collegiate Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Athens, Georgia next May whose class of inductees will be announced later this spring.

He is joined by Jim Poling from Army, and Peter Scott of Flagler, plus player Peter Doohan from Arkansas.

Dr. Robert Screen, Coach, Hampton (1970-2011): Dr. Screen totaled 1,068 career victories over a 40-year career coaching the men's program at Hampton. Screen, who graduated from what was then the Hampton Institute in 1953, led Hampton to Division II national championships in 1976 and 1989, becoming the first African-American coach to win an NCAA tennis title. He coached the women's program as well after it was founded in 1996.

Screen's teams also won a pair of HBCU national championships and three Virginia Collegiate Championships. After joining the MEAC conference, the Pirates won 11 league titles (seven men's and four women's). Prior to joining the MEAC, Screen's teams captured 22 straight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles. During his career, his teams won 37 conference championships, with both the men's and women's teams making NCAA Division I championships appearances once Hampton joined the MEAC in 1996. When he wasn't coaching, Screen served as chair of Hampton's Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders — a job he held for 50 years.

In addition to all of his coaching duties, Screen was the founding Chair of the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, creating the first degree-granting program in Speech Pathology at an HBCU. His first novel, We Can't Run Away from Here, was published in 1958, and his last, The Ride to Nashville, came out in 2006. Screen passed away in 2015.