Joe Bouquin

bouquin

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.