Robert Tucker has been the psychology teacher at Central for the last 26 years and has also been the Central boy’s tennis head coach on and off for the last 20 years. This is his last for both roles, as he will be retiring at the end of the school year.  

Within the past 12 years Tucker has taken on the laid-back approach to coaching. 

“I keep it very similar to my teaching style, [where] I try to make my points without being abrupt or yelling while trying to build on strengths while bridging weaknesses,” Tucker said.  

This allows Tucker to help his athletes build confidence so they see they can succeed on the court and have skills they can develop. 

“As an urban district, we have kind of a disadvantage when we compete against the suburban schools where the kids have probably been playing tennis since they were three to four years old,” he said. 

As a coach, he sees many sides of students, whether it’s in practice, on the court or in the classroom. Tucker said that is the highlight of his job. 

“My favorite thing about being a coach is being able to see students outside of an academic setting and to be able to get to know them on a much more personal level,” he said.  

One of the things that Tucker said he will miss most about coaching is the personal relationships he has been able to build with his athletes.  

While Tucker currently doesn’t get to play a whole lot of tennis because he is usually coaching the boys or the girls’ tennis season, one thing he says he looks forward to is being able to join leagues and play a lot more.  

During his on-and-off coaching of the Central tennis team, Tucker has made a lot of memories, not only with the sport, but with his athletes as well, his favorite being from several years ago during one of his early tennis seasons. The boys’ team, although not winning state championships, did win the outstanding sportsmanship award. 

“Being able to be recognized for that sense of sportsmanship, which I work on quite a bit with the kids, was nice to have,” Tucker said.  

As his last fall sports season is already halfway gone, Tucker has emphasized that his primary goal is to have his athletes “be better today than you were yesterday, to be able to develop your skills and a love for the game of tennis,” Tucker said.  

After his time at Central concludes, Tucker looks forward to the future.  

“My post-retirement plans are much like a senior in high school – I plan on taking a gap year,” Tucker said.