Coming Full Circle

Former Post Cup Winner Danny Westerman Now Coaches Tennis at His Alma Mater

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

It isn’t often someone can say they have found their “dream job,” but Danny Westerman is one of the lucky ones.

Not only is he coaching tennis, the sport he loves, but the Palisades High alumnus is doing so at the University of Wisconsin, the school he loves and played for.    

“This University holds a special place in my heart for me and my family,” Westerman said after returning to Madison from a recruiting trip last weekend.    “There aren’t many coaches that  get the chance to coach at their alma mater and I want to give back to the tennis program that gave me so much.”

Westerman became Wisconsin’s 17th men’s head coach in 2015 and piloted the Badgers to their winningest season in six years. His sophomore campaign   was even better and he begins his third season at the helm with eyes on the Big Ten title.

“It’s a constant grind–not a day goes by that I’m not out recruiting,” Westerman said. “I look in the Midwest first but we have a good mix of kids from all over, including Florida, Ireland and Spain. Half the players next season will be my recruits, so I’m excited to see how we do.”   

It’s coming up on 20 years since Westerman won the Post Cup Award as the outstanding senior athlete at Pali High, yet that remains one of his proudest accomplishments.

“That was really amazing,” he said, remembering his days in the blue and white. “To be recognized by your peers and your school is great and it meant all the hard work paid off. As far as high school goes, I was able to check off all the boxes.”

Westerman played varsity singles all four years at Pali High  and helped the Dolphins win four City Section team titles.  He won the City Individual singles title his junior year and was the center piece of one of Pali High’s best teams ever in 1998, teaming with Artin Tafazoli to win the doubles title at the prestigious Ojai Tournament.

“When I first got to Pali we hadn’t won City in a few years, so winning it as a freshman [in 1995] was big, then trying to see if we could do it four times in a row. That was the motivation.”    

Westerman, who lived in West Hollywood but attended Palisades through the magnet program, was ranked No. 8 in Southern California when he graduated with a 4.2 GPA.

“I still keep in touch with Coach [Bud] Kling, Artin and a few other teammates,” Westerman said. “In fact, Artin went to my wedding and I went to his.”   

A left-hander with a nasty kick serve who liked to serve and volley, Westerman was used to being No. 1 in high school, but  quickly discovered the college game was a whole new level.

“It was very humbling once I got to Wisconsin,” he said. “I was playing No. 5 and No. 6 singles my freshman year. It was another step up the pyramid. The mountain  keeps getting steeper. The biggest change for me was the physical part.”

According to Westerman the  game has changed dramatically since his Pali High days.

“The athleticism is so much better now,” he said. “I was over six feet, which is above average height, but I’d be the shortest guy on my team now. I was trying to get to net a lot where now most guys stay back. From the technology to the equipment to the strings, it’s all more advanced. The players are a lot bigger and faster. Even in my best shape I wasn’t as well-conditioned as  these guys are now.”   

Westerman enjoyed a stellar playing career at Wisconsin, becoming only the fifth three-time All-Big Ten selection at UW and earning the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2002. He finished his career fourth in Badgers history with 92 singles wins and his .634 winning percentage ranked eighth in school annals at the time of his graduation. He reached No. 16 in the national singles rankings and went 63-47  in doubles in his four seasons.

Even before his own career was over, thoughts of coaching had entered his mind.   

“At the end of my junior year I started paying close attention to what was going on,” Westerman said. “Half my teammates were predicting I’d  coach some day and was like ‘You guys are crazy!’ At that time I wanted to go pro.”    

Following his college career, Westerman went on to attain a world ranking in both singles and doubles as well as a Top 100 ranking in the United States. He had ankle surgery after he graduated and his prolonged recovery provided him  ample time to weigh his options. He served as an assistant coach for three seasons at Wisconsin, which led to his first head coaching position at the University of Denver.

“Denver was a green program and a great place to get my start,” Westerman said. “I loved living there, I inherited a good team and I was able to keep the momentum going.”   

During his nine-year tenure at Denver, Westerman led the Pioneers to the NCAA tournament five times, posting a 123-83-1 record and earning ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year honors.

Westerman earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and management in 2002 and his MBA in 2005. He and his wife, Elizabeth, a Madison native and former Wisconsin women’s tennis letterwinner, have two boys, James (4) and Thomas (2).

“Yes, talent is important but I want someone who is going to be a positive competitor,” Westerman said. “You may be hard on yourself but can you stay positive throughout the match? I want someone who is not going to bring anyone else down. Every college match is like the final of a junior event. When I’m in the living room, do  you say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to your parents? Do you look me in the eye? Will you be respectful to me and your teammates? Those things matter.”   

Westerman’s parents moved to Westwood in the fall of his freshman year at Wisconsin and  his younger sister Julie, who was captain of the girls team at Pali High and went on to play No. 1 singles at UC San Diego, got married in May.

“I think my [Post Cup] is at my parent’s place,” Westerman said. “I still have all the newspaper clippings from high school. My sister made me a scrapbook  in college. Madison is a fabulous place to live. It was a culture shock at first, but the people here are amazing and everything revolves around the university. LA is great too, just different. It’s neat that Coach Kling is still at Pali. His daughter Alex went to Wisconsin and I’d see him every year at the NCAAs.”

Will his boys follow in dad’s footsteps? He said they already are: “They watch all the sports and they love Bucky Badger!”