C.J. Weber completed his 12th season as head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast University men’s tennis program in 2022-23 and has produced 37 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the program in September 2011.
Weber has been named ASUN Coach of the Year four times in his career and was tabbed as the Southeast Region Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year in 2015 following FGCU's NCAA Tournament appearance. The Eagles ended 2021 ranked No. 65, the highest in program history.
The 2022-23 Eagles went 15-9 and won a share of the 2023 ASUN regular-season title after defeating No. 63 Liberty. Weber’s FGCU squad then won the ASUN Tournament championship, defeating North Florida 4-0 in the title match. Magnus Johnson won ASUN Player of the Year for the third consecutive season and earned a spot on the ASUN All-Academic Team. Marcelo Sepulveda and Randy Wilson were both named to the All-ASUN Second Team. Guglielmo Stefanacci was named on the All-ASUN Third Team.
In 2022, the Eagles won the ASUN regular-season title for the fourth time in program history, finishing the season with a 15-7 record and 7-1 record in ASUN play. Johnson won ASUN Player of the Year for the second-straight season while Sepulveda and Wilson were both named to the All-ASUN Second Team. The Eagles reached a ranking of as high as No. 69 during the season.
In 2021, Weber led the Eagles to an 8-6 overall record, including a 5-1 record in ASUN play. Despite falling to Liberty in the ASUN finals, FGCU was invited to play in the NCAA Tournament, however, due to COVID-19, were forced to withdraw. Under the tutelage of Weber, Magnus Johnson was named the ASUN Player and Freshman of the year. He qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship, where he fell in three sets to eventual national runner-up Adrian Boitan of Baylor.
Despite the 2020 season being limited due to the COVID-19 national emergency, which ended the campaign after just nine matches, Weber's team was coming into its own as the ASUN preseason favorite. The Eagles, who were picked to win the conference once again in the annual coaches' poll, won three of their final five matches, which included a pair of road victories. The short season was also highlighted by the match against Miami, marking the first time that the Green and Blue had hosted the Hurricanes in the team's 20-year history. Weber's team had one of the tougher slates among conference opponents, as the team was scheduled to take on three different opponents that had advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Under Weber's guidance, the Eagles finished the 2019 season as both ASUN regular season and tournament champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. During the regular conference season, the Green & Blue posted a perfect 7-0 mark against ASUN opponents and finished with a 14-9 record overall. The Eagles continued their dominance at home, earning an 8-5 advantage at the FGCU Tennis Complex. For the third time in his career, Weber was named ASUN Coach of the Year, and three members of the Eagles' squad were placed on postseason teams. After capturing the third tournament crown in program history, FGCU advanced to Gainesville and took on No. 3 Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite falling to the Gators, the Eagles still turned in a record-breaking year as two of Weber's seniors solidified themselves in the Green and Blue record book. Javier Fernandez broke the career conference wins record (23) and Mateo Ruiz finished with the second-most career doubles wins (47).
In his seventh season in 2017-18, Weber guided the Eagles to another ASUN Tournament appearance and yet another semifinal berth. Following a 9-12 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the ASUN, FGCU defeated NJIT in the quarterfinals of the ASUN Championships before falling short against No. 2 Stetson, 4-3, in the semifinals. The Eagles season was highlighted by a B Flight doubles championship from Austin Bates and Ezequiel Cerrini at the Bedford Cup. In the spring, FGCU earned three Player of the Week honorees (Felipe Escobar, Felipe Ramirez, and Oliver Landert) in addition to a trio of Second Team All-Conference selections (Javier Fernandez, Bates, and Ramirez).
In addition, Weber was inducted into Eastern Illinois' Athletic's Hall of Fame in October of 2018.
Adversity was the theme in 2016-17 as the Eagles faced numerous injuries, weather delays, and a tough schedule en route to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons. The Green and Blue were hampered by injuries throughout the season but hit their stride late in the year. The Eagles finished the regular season 7-12 and 3-3 in ASUN play, facing the likes of Florida State, Miami, No. 29 South Alabama, No. 48 UCF and #34 Memphis. However in the ASUN Tournament, FGCU strung together three wins, including a semifinal victory over No. 1 UNF that concluded at 3:15 in the morning, to secure the program's second NCAA berth in three year. Felipe Ramirez, the ASUN's Freshman of the Year, Javier Fernandez and Andres Alfonzo were named to the All-Tournament Team with Alfonzo earning MVP honors. The aforementioned Ramirez was also a First Team selection, while Fernandez and Ezequiel Cerrini were Second Team honorees.
FGCU repeated its regular-season title in 2016, finishing the year undefeated in conference play along with a 16-6 mark overall. Weber's Eagles again found themselves placed among the nation's best, climbing as high as No. 74 in the ITA Rankings over the course of the season. Facing a tough schedule featuring six NCAA Tournament team, the Eagles earned four wins against the nation's best. Weber was named the ASUN Coach of the Year for the second time in as many seasons, while Javier Fernandez was named Freshman of the Year. Andres Alfonzo was the lone First Team honoree for the Eagles, who placed five on the Second Team (Ricky Ventura, Fernandez, Lucas Vaz, Eduardo Alfonzo, Oliver Landert). In addition, both Fernandez and Ezequiel Cerrini were named to the All-Freshman Team,
Weber led the Eagles to an astounding 17-6 overall record in the spring of 2015 and a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play including other milestones. During the 2014-15 season, Weber's Eagles defeated four nationally-ranked opponents, most notably No. 71 Miami in February and capped the year with the program's first regular-season title and tournament championship ring. Weber was later recognized by the ITA, being named the Southeast Region's Coach of the Year. FGCU had a total of six players win A-Sun All-Conference Awards including Jordi Vives (Player of the Year), Michael Beiler (First Team) and Ricky Ventura (First Team). Second Team honorees included Jordi Vives and Eduardo Alfonzo in doubles and Austin Bates and Tianyu Bao in singles. Bates was also named to the All-Freshmen Team. Ventura was also the ASUN Tournament MVP. The Eagles finished the year ranked sixth in the Southeast Region, the highest ranking in Division I history, and its first national ranking at No. 75.
FGCU continued to increase fan attendance, through the 2015 season, averaging more than 250 fans per match. At the home season finale, over 400 fans witnessed the Eagles sweep conference foe UNF.
In his third season, Weber guided the Eagles to finish third in the conference and claim 12 wins. Highlighting the 2014 campaign was then-junior Jordi Vives, whom Weber led to become the first from FGCU to earn an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rank - reaching a career-high No. 35, compile a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and represent the Eagles in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, where he earned a win and advanced to the round of 32. Vives' success crowned him ASUN Player of the Year and earned him spots on the All-Conference First Team, the ASUN All-Tournament team and the Academic All-Conference squad. Tianyu Bao was also named to the First-Team. Jordi Vives and Dean Tsamas earned the program's first regional ranking, appearing at No. 9 in the ITA Southeast Region.
In his second year at the helm, Weber guided the Green & Blue to an unprecedented number of program-firsts highlighted by their 4-3 win over tradition-rich Oklahoma State, fourth-place finish in conference play and first postseason victory after defeating USC Upstate in the 2013 A-Sun Tournament. Adding to the list of first-time successes, then sophomores Jordi Vives and Tianyu Bao received All-Conference honors. Bao was a second-team member, while Vives was named to the All-Conference first team, the A-Sun All-Tournament team and an Academic All-Conference selection.
Additionally, Weber continued to put a heavy focus on building program support within the Fort Myers community. In 2013, his tireless efforts helped FGCU set an attendance record of 992 fans at the match against SMU. The team also averaged a crowd of over 200 per match, making FGCU one of the highest-attended tennis programs in the country.
In his inaugural 2011-12 season, Weber led the men’s tennis team to a sixth-place finish in the ASUN, qualifying them for its first-ever ASUN Tournament berth as they finished 7-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Eagles had a winning record at home (6-5) and hosted their first-ever night match in front of 200-plus people beating Kennesaw State 4-3. Weber had two players named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen team, a first for the program. Bao was the first FGCU Eagle to be named the A-Sun Freshman of the Year and land on the All-Freshmen team, while Michael Beiler was honored to the All-Freshmen team as well.
In addition to collegiate coaching, Weber has helped train a list of ATP tour players, including Kevin Anderson before his run to the Wimbledon Finals in 2018. He spent significant time preparing Anderson for the 2011 Australian Open and the BB&T Open in 2012 and 2014. Following the 2015 season Weber continued working with Anderson, helping him prepare for the grass court circuit in England, where he made the finals of Queens and lost in a five-set thriller to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Weber also spent time with Anderson in preparation for this summer’s hard-court season and the US Open Series. Prior to his work with Anderson, Weber traveled with retired ATP No. 174 Ryler Deheart to various tournaments, most notably Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open from 2009-10.
Before joining the Eagles, Weber gained coaching experience at the University of Miami, the University of Illinois and his alma mater Eastern Illinois University.
Over his five years as an assistant coach for Miami, the Hurricanes had four players earn a total of eight All-America honors. In 2011, Weber helped guide the Hurricanes to a No. 27 ITA ranking and a fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season. For his efforts he was named the 2011 ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
Prior to life in the Sunshine State, Weber spent the spring of 2006 serving as the volunteer assistant coach for the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini, coordinating practice sessions, providing on-court instruction and match preparation, overseeing fitness and conditioning, as well as providing administrative support. At Illinois, he coached three All-Americans, including NCAA Doubles Champions Ryan Rowe and Kevin Anderson, and helped guide the team to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoors Tournament and the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA Tournament.
He spent the 2004-05 season as the assistant coach of both Eastern Illinois' men's and women's tennis programs, and picked up experience managing and providing instruction at summer tennis camps at both Eastern Illinois and Illinois.
In three years with the University of Illinois' Nike Tennis Camps, Weber worked extensively with Craig Tiley -- the current tournament director of the Australian Open, as well as the Director of Player Development for Tennis Australia.
As a collegiate student-athlete, Weber was a three-time Ohio Valley All-Conference selection, as well as conference Player of the Year and Eastern Illinois' Male Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2004 -- just two years after Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. The two-time team MVP was also selected team captain as a senior and finished his career with a 44-18 singles record.
A scholar as well as an outstanding athlete at Eastern Illinois, Weber graduated with a 3.95 GPA. In addition to being named to the Dean's List throughout college, he was also a four-time recipient of EIU's Scholar-Athlete Award and garnered Academic All-America first-team honors as a senior, following his selection to the Academic All-America District first team as a junior and senior.
Weber graduated with honors from Eastern Illinois in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He added a master's degree in athletic administration in 2005.
He and his wife, Monica, were married in July 2019.
Updated 5/22/2023
