Head Coach, Brian Dubrule: Varsity Girls Tennis
Brian Dubrule became the head coach of the varsity girls tennis program in 2004 and later took charge of the varsity boys team in 2008.
For Dubrule, the most gratifying aspect of coaching is witnessing players’ growth. “I love watching players improve at tennis, whether it’s during the season, moving from junior varsity to varsity over a year, or going from fifth in the varsity lineup one year to second the next,” he said. “Tennis is one of those sports where you really get out what you put into it.”
His proudest Peddie moment occurred in 2022 when he coached his team to a thrilling win against Lawrenceville. “Lawrenceville tennis has always been the standard, and Peddie hadn’t beaten them since 2004,” Dubrule said. “It wasn’t just the drought ending that made the win special. It was how the team won the match. So many things had to go right, and the girls never gave up and fought right to the end.”
Dubrule got his start coaching boys tennis at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City and girls tennis at Tenafly High School for two years before coming to Peddie. He coached junior varsity boys tennis and assisted varsity girls tennis during his first few years at Peddie.
He grew up in central Massachusetts and played high school tennis and then club tennis at Stockton State College. He graduated from the University of Alabama and then worked in Russia for nearly two years, where he met his wife. They both attended graduate school at the University of Kansas, where he earned his master’s degree in Russian literature. Afterward, he moved to Washington, D.C., and earned a second master’s degree in library and information science from Catholic University and immediately started working at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. After seven years in Jersey City, he became the library director at Peddie.
Reflecting on his coaching philosophy, Dubrule said, “I always hope that when players look back at their time at Peddie, they think of the friends they made and the fun they had on the tennis team. I love seeing alums, especially tennis alums, at Reunion every year.”