Coaching Ace

Since Glacier High School first opened its doors 16 years ago, coaches have come and gone across the various sports and activities. But not on the tennis courts. Those have remained firmly planted under the purview of Josh Munro since the Wolfpack’s first season. 

“Glacier tennis is Josh Munro,” said Kellen Bates, a former four-time individual state champion while at Glacier. “He was there in the beginning. He created the entire program and philosophy, and he made that team what it is.”

Last week the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) selected Munro as the 2021-2022 National Boys Tennis Coach of the Year, recognizing his impact on the sport at Glacier and across Montana. 

“We always look to hire great educators and great coaches, and Josh is great in the classroom and on the courts, but he also goes above and beyond in every possible way,” Glacier activities director Mark Dennehy said. “He’s shaped the way we do tennis across the state.”

Munro began playing tennis when he was in high school and continued playing recreationally in college. During his sophomore year at the University of Montana, Munro was looking for ways to expand his time on the courts and applied to be an assistant high school coach. 

“Some schools wanted someone older with some experience, which is totally understandable,” Munro said. Big Sky High School in Missoula, however, tapped him to take over their program as a co-head coach. “I thought it was just going to be something I did for a little bit while I was in college, but then it kept rolling.”

Seven years after starting as the head tennis coach at Big Sky, Munro moved to the Flathead Valley and coached for a year at Flathead High School before shifting across town to Glacier, where he’s been coaching ever since. 

In 16 years as the head tennis coach with the Wolfpack, Munro has seen great success with both his boys and girls teams. His all-time coaching record stands at 148-80, including the most recent winning seasons of 16-6 (boys) and 7-4 (girls). The Wolfpack girls won the Montana state championships in 2010 and 2011 followed by a boy’s title in 2013 and in 2021. The two teams combine for 27 divisional titles since 2010, and 14 individual state champions, most recently Rory Smith, who won titles in 2019 and 2021 (there was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).  

But there’s one number that’s mentioned the most in the same breath as Coach Munro: 100. 

“I don’t think there’s many kids in the history of Glacier that haven’t been recruited by Coach Munro to play tennis,” Dennehy said. “He’s willing to coach 100 or more kids each year. His coaching staff will run multiple practices to accommodate everyone.”

The size of the tennis team — which rivals the track team in the spring and football team in the fall — is a fundamental aspect of Munro’s coaching philosophy. 

“I wasn’t a good player when I started in high school, but my coach didn’t cut me,” Munro said. “That’s how I got my start and it’s turned into this lifelong passion, so I don’t make cuts. If 100 kids come out, you’ve got to give them 100 chances, because you never know who’s going to be the kid that it clicks with. And there’s also 100 chances to make a lifelong tennis player. 

Bates, who played for Munro from 2010-2013 and whose older sister, Liana, is also a state champion for Glacier, said the Munro philosophy of giving everyone the chance to play was key to his own enjoyment of the sport. 

“My fondest memories from high school weren’t competitions or the state championships, but participating in practice with the JV kids, bringing them up to speed,” Bates said. “Munro led the charge there — he was an enthusiastic guy and enthusiastic recruiter. No matter how good you were, Munro would drum up enthusiasm for your matches.” 

Creating a lifelong passion for athletics is what Munro believes his biggest legacy can be on his players. 

“This is one of the few sports you can continue to play going forward in life. You don’t need lots of people to make a team, just one other person to volley with,” Munro said. “As coaches, we all still play in tournaments, and I’ve only gotten better myself playing in tournaments around Montana and beyond over the years.”

“Athletics should be the relief at the end of the day that makes you happy,” he added. “I figure if the kids have fun in high school, they’ll play better, learn some life skills that can translate to other facets of life, and they’ll see it as a lifetime sport.”

NFHS Coach of the Year honorees were selected based on their coaching performance during the 2021-22 school year, lifetime win/loss record, community involvement, school involvement and philosophy of coaching. As an organization, the NFHS relies on its member state associations to recognize those who are leading their sport, shaping their athletes and contributing in a positive way to their community.