Retired Charlotte 49ers men's tennis coach Jim Boykin was inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame. Boykin, who came to the Queen City in 1993, amassed 200 career victories, before stepping away from the program following the 2010 dual match season.
During his time at Charlotte, Boykin helped change the Charlotte men's tennis program. In 17 years, he helped fundraise and begin the construction of the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex — the Niners current home for both men's and women's tennis — marking Charlotte’s first full functioning on-campus tennis facility featuring 12 playing courts, coaching offices, a training room and two locker rooms for both 49ers programs.
He also led the 49ers to its first conference championship appearance in 2006, before guiding the team to a first conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007.
Boykin was integral in the recruitment and coaching of Niner tennis alumnus Roy Sichel ’08, who became the first and only player in program history to earn a spot at the NCAA Singles Championship as an individual.
Boykin arrived in Charlotte via junior college power Anderson College, where he amassed a 12-year record of 251-77 and led the program to two junior college national championships. He was twice named the National Junior College Coach of the Year, 1986 and 1987, and earned South Carolina Coach of the Year and Wilson Intercollegiate Coach of the Year honors in 1986.
In 1994, he was elected to the National Junior College Athletic Association's Tennis Hall of Fame. In spring of 2000, he was elected into the Anderson College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Boykin was the 1990 head coach of the now defunct Charlotte Heat of Professional Team Tennis and produced the league's rookie of the year, Trevor "Tank" Kronermann.
A 1967 graduate of Appalachian State, Boykin earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and served as an assistant coach under Jim Jones. He attended Furman University from 1960-63 and was a Southern Conference Singles Champion. He also held appointments as head tennis professional at Anderson Cardinal Racket Club, Charlotte Olde Providence Racket Club and Charlotte Country Club.