Coach Rod Whalen is a graduate of Magnolia High School where he was a four-sport letterman and was all-district and all-state football and district and state champion in tennis. He attended Southern State College (now SAU) where he was Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference tennis champion twice in singles and doubles and represented the NAIA District at the National Tennis championships. The two years he played at SSC, the team was undefeated.
He was head mens tennis coach at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was five times conference, district, and professional registry coach of the year. He coached the high school teams of Crestview, Fla., and Walton High of DeFuniak Springs, Fla.
Whalen spent the 20 years between collegiate competition and coaching as a naval officer and aviator flying helicopters. He donated his Navy memorabilia to the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) in Tyler, Texas, where he also serves as docent and educator.