In his exceptionally long (54 years and counting) career as Rochester High School’s tennis coach, Jerry Murphy has accomplished quite a lot. His teams have put together 347 wins, noteworthy in that his squad competes in the always powerful Oakland Activities Association. He has been State Coach of the Year twice and is in our Hall of Fame. He has served as a MHSTeCA president. And he has basked in the reflected glory of two female state champions, Kelsey Dieters twice at 1S (who was also MHSTeCA Miss Tennis in 2011) and Adriana Lingl at 2S in 2008.
“This year, the regional tennis coaches selected me as the Regional Coach of the Year for the 12th time,” says Jerry. “However, the most amazing aspect of the 2025 boys tennis season was the performance of Chad Anderson.”
Chad grew up in a tennis family. His dad was a excellent player at Rochester Adams in the early 90s who went on to play at Butler University in Indiana. His brother Clayton is two years older than Chad and played 1S for RHS for 4 years, reaching the #1S State final his last 3 years. He lost those three matches to Sachiv Kumar of Northville, two in the state championship final. “I believe this was part of Chad’s motivation to accomplish what he did this year,” says Jerry.
In his first two years at RHS, Chad played 2S behind his brother. In his sophomore year he reached the 2S State Final before losing to Pierce Shaya of Bloomfield Hills. After his brother graduated, he assumed the 1S position on the RHS team where he reached the IS State Final his junior year, losing to Shaya again. Shaya is currently playing at U-M.
“I asked Chad who he thought were going to be his major competitors to winning the state championship,” says Jerry. “I went ahead and scheduled most of his suggestions so he would know where he stood going into the final tournament. These players included Grant Miller, the Ann Arbor Pioneer freshman standout whom he would ultimately face in the 1S State Final match.”
Chad was not only undefeated going into that last match but had not lost a single set the entire fall. In what many observers called an “epic” final, he defeated Miller in a three-hour marathon 7-5,6-7,7-5. In winning the championship, he became the first Rochester High male tennis player to win a state championship.
For his career, Chad finished with 91 victories, 2nd in school history behind his brother’s 94 victories. He was selected 1st Team All-State four times.
Chad’s leadership was demonstrated in many ways. He maintained a 3.65 overall GPA. He will be continuing his tennis and academic career in Milwaukee, WI at Marquette University. In doing so, he will be rejoining his brother who is already on the team there.
“He exemplified what it means to be a truly leader,” says athletic director Dean Allen. “As team captain, he led by example, motivating his teammates, showing respect to his opponents, and upholding the highest standards of integrity and sportsmanship.. He embodies the very spirit of Mr. Tennis.”