John Black is currently in his seventh year as the head coach of the men's tennis team at Grand Valley State. He has led the Laker men to three consecutive NCAA DII National Championship Tournament appearances. In his time at GVSU, Black has had a total of 32 players selected as ITA Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients (22 women, 10 men).

The 2008 season saw Grand Valley State advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to #4 Drury. GVSU also earned its first national ranking in school history, as it was ranked #42 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings released on April 2.

The Lakers took a second place finish in the GLIAC Tournament with Black at the helm in 2007.

In 2005, Black led the Grand Valley State men's tennis team to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time in school history.

Originally from Bordentown, New Jersey, Black coached the girls varsity tennis team at Northern Burlington County Regional High School in 1999. He was selected as the Burlington County Girls Tennis Coach of the Year for guiding his team to a 14-7 record. The following year Black coached the boys team to an 18-5 record.

Black began his playing career at Mercer County Community College. He was named to the All-Region First Team in 1992 and 1993, and participated in the national championships in 1993. Black then attended The College of New Jersey, where he played tennis from 1993-95. He earned First Team All-Conference honors during his last two seasons. During his career at TCNJ he finished with a 42-3 singles record, combining for an overall record of 67-7.

He has been a highly ranked player in the United States Tennis Association throughout his career. As a junior tennis player, he was ranked as high as #7 in the state of New Jersey. Previously, he had been ranked #1 in the father/son doubles in the Middle States Section. As an adult player he has been ranked in the top-5 in men's open singles in the Middle States Section.

In 1997, Black graduated from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor's of arts in English. He is certified by the USTPA and currently is also working as a Tennis Pro at Ramblewood Tennis and Health Club in Grandville, Mich.