BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Auburn High School named Francois Bosman, a longtime fixture in the city’s tennis community, as its next head boys’ tennis coach on July 15.
Bosman steps into the role with roughly three decades of teaching and playing experience,
Most recently, Bosman has served as the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department’s professional tennis coordinator, a position he has held since 2021.
In that capacity, he has run the city’s tennis programs, teaching players of all ages and skill levels, and he is certified through both the United States Professional Tennis Association and the Professional Tennis Registry.
Bosman said taking over the program was an honor and that he is ready to begin training as soon as the Alabama High School Athletic Association allows it.
“I am excited to be working with the boys team,” Bosman said. “They have a lot of potential this year, and this gives me the opportunity to help them develop.”
Bosman said his main priority for this upcoming season was to implement a preseason strength and conditioning program that allows his player to be in shape by the first practice.
A main component of that program will be injury prevention so that players are available throughout the entire season.
His ties to AHS also already run deep.
During his time with the city, Bosman also volunteered with the Tigers’ tennis program as a technical advisor to both the girls and boys teams for roughly nine years.
That involvement, in part, led to the United States Tennis Association’s Alabama chapter naming Bosman its 2023 Tennis Professional of the Year.
His son, Philip, also played tennis for AHS and captured an AHSAA Class 7A singles state championship in 2019 before competing collegiately at the University of South Alabama and later at Spring Hill College.
Before beginning his career as a coach and instructor, Bosman played tennis at Auburn University at Montgomery, where he won two doubles national championships and was named an NAIA Singles All-American in 1996.
Bosman played professionally for two years before attending AUM and one year after he completed his collegiate career.
Auburn City Schools Director of Athletics James Slaton said Bosman was an excellent fit for a program accustomed to competing for both individual and team state championships.
“Francois Bosman is an outstanding addition to Auburn High School Athletics and a tremendous choice to lead our boys tennis program,” Slaton said in a statement. “As an accomplished professional tennis player with more than 30 years of experience, Francois brings a wealth of knowledge to our student-athletes. Through his work as the tennis teaching professional for the city of Auburn, he has already made a positive impact on tennis in our community. We are excited for him to lead our program as we continue developing champions in academics, athletics and life.”
Bosman inherits a program with a strong recent tradition.
The Tigers had two players, Camden Coburn and Jason Wang, finish as runners-up in their respective singles flights at the 2026 AHSAA 7A boys state championships, while the boys team finished fifth overall.
“From my side as a coach, my involvement with the program has always been to help the school and the kids, and that’s normally my coaching approach,” Bosman said. “Whatever we can do to help the schools and help the community through tennis is always No. 1 for me.”
