Joe Bouquin
(Tennis, 1968)
Joe Bouquin is, perhaps, the
finest male tennis player ever to play at Danbury High School and, as
such, is the first tennis player to be inducted into the Athletic Hall
of Fame. For three years he was both the number one seed in both singles
and doubles for DHS. His overall record was 27-5 in singles and could
possible have been the finest singles player in the state except he had
the unfortunate circumstance of competing with future professional
tennis player Paul Gerken of Norwalk who, in his professional career,
defeated the likes of Ilie Nastasie, Bjorn Borg, Arthur Ashe and John
Newcombe. Three of the five losses Joe suffered in his high school
career were to Gerken. He finished 2nd in the FCIAC’s in 1967 and 1968
as well as 2nd in the state in both years. Again, he finished 2nd to
Gerken in all cases. In college Joe attended the University of Miami and
graduated in 1972. His NCAA career was also quite impressive as he
played four years for the Hurricanes and ranked #5 in the nation in NCAA
Division 1 in 1971. Joe’s post college tennis career was a continuation
of his high school and college success. He was ranked #1 in the US in
the Mens Over 40 division in 1994 and he was inducted into the New
England Tennis Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2006 he was a member of the
Austria Cup Over 55 Team.