Craig Bell - From Courts To Careers

Craig Bell and I connected on LinkedIn in September 2014. A short time later, he became a subscriber of Tennis Club Business and has followed our journey ever since, even after we rebranded to Racket Business. I was lucky to be a guest on his At The Net Podcast, which he so expertly moderates together with the one and only AJ Chabria. (See our section Podcasts & More)

At The Net Podcast

I assume most of our readers know Craig or have at least heard of him. When you listen to him on the ATN Podcast, you realize how much he enjoys everything about tennis and the entire racquet sports industry. His knowledge and confidence, often accompanied by a great sense of humor, come from over 50 years of working in that industry.

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Craig Bell in a Nutshell

Craig has played high school, college, and professional tennis.  He started teaching tennis in 1984 and has enjoyed instructing players of all skill levels with many of his players competing in local, regional, and national tournaments. 

Craig has volunteered his time for a number of organizations, serving in several capacities, from Secretary to President with the San Antonio Professional Tennis Association, Dallas Professional Tennis Association, Dallas Tennis Association, RSPA Texas Division, RSPA Texas Section, and RSPA Executive Committee.

Native American Heritage - Chickasaw

Craig is a 6th generation member of the Chickasaw Indian Nation with his relatives being enrolled on the original Dawes Tribal Rolls in the early ‘1900s and his 5th Great Grandfather Levi Colbert was Chief of the Chickasaw Nation from the ‘1820s to 1834 until the time of his death. 

Tennis Director Career

Craig has served as the Director of Tennis at some of the finest clubs in Texas as he has been employed at The University Club, Dallas, and Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio. For the last 27 ½ years, he was Director of Racquet Sports at the Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas. Craig retired from this position in July.

Career Move

Retiring from Bent Tree CC didn’t mean Craig Bell was done with tennis. On the contrary, it was just the beginning of a brand-new adventure. Craig moved with his family back to the state, where he played collegiate tennis and met his wife: Utah. Not only did he start a part-time position teaching tennis at Ogden Athletic Club (once a tennis teacher, always a tennis teacher!) but he also made a much bigger career move: Racquet Sports Executive Search Consultant with Mark McMahon’s McMahon Careers.

Racquet Sports Executive Search Consultant at McMahon Careers

The company’s website states about this position:

Comments regarding Craig Bell’s joining McMahon’s Careers

Craig Bell writes: “I've learned the past few months that Mark and his team are really "complete" professionals when it comes to the recruiting and training of racquet (racket) sports professionals. I'm truly honored to be a part of Mark's team!”

AJ Chabria writes: “Congratulations to one of the most convivial*, and remarkable people in the Tennis industry… Craig Bell. After an absolutely brilliant career as a Tennis Director, he joins McMahon careers as a consultant and stays in touch with the soul of the game as a highly popular tennis professional on the tennis courts of the Ogden Athletic Club.

Mark McMahon writes: “Craig joins the McMahon Careers team after a storied career at Bent Tree Country Club, and his professionalism and commitment to keeping a finger on the pulse of the industry will make him a valued member of our team—we are all excited to work with Craig.”

Meaning of the word convivial

Craig, ever the jovial, light-hearted humorist, says: “Every once in a while, I have a moment or two of fun (and conviviality - my word I use a lot on our At The Net Podcast).  I'll try to stay in my lane and keep my head down!”

*The Oxford Dictionary defines convivial as:
"Friendly, lively, enjoyable atmosphere or event.”