Nelson handing the Boys Tennis reigns to Donovan

The Canton High School Athletic Department is happy to announce the hiring of Bill Donovan as our new Varsity Boys Tennis Coach.  Donovan is replacing long-time CHS tennis coach Leo Nelson. Nelson has been at the helm of the Boys Tennis program for a decade. During that time he has coached many tournament teams and great individuals.

The transition is bitter-sweet for Bulldog Tennis fans as Nelson, one of our longest serving coaches, has meant so much to our program. His laid-back yet driving style helped many Bulldog tennis players improve their games over the years. He will be greatly missed.

Newly appointed coach Bill Donovan

Donovan has served as the Varsity Boys Tennis Coach at Cardinal Spellman High School for the past five seasons. During that time he took a fledgeling program and turned it into a contender. He'll be looking to work similar magic here as the Bulldogs have been struggling to make tournament appearances for much of the past few years.  When asked how he is feeling about taking over the Bulldog program he stated- "To steal a line from Pete Carroll, I'm pumped and jacked."

Beyond the high school tennis courts, Donovan is an avid tennis player and fan. He has a family connection to our tennis program as his niece, Colleen McCarthy ('91), and his nephews, Michael McCarthy ('94) and Kevin McCarthy ('99) were standouts on the tennis courts for the Bulldogs in the 1990s.  Donovan makes an annual trip to NYC every Labor Day weekend to watch the best in the sport play at the US Open.  He also is a huge Roger Federer fan and believes that young tennis players can learn so much from watching the sport.

Professionally, Donovan is a former staff writer for the Providence Journal, former adjunct journalism professor at Northeastern and BU and is currently toiling away on his first novel.

Best of luck to coach Nelson as he moves on to other opportunities and to coach Donovan as he heads into his first Canton High Tennis season.