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About The Founder
Joseph A. B. Oyebog was born on August 13, 1971 in Bota-Limbe, South West Region of Cameroon. He is the last of six children of the late Martin Oki Oyebog (an agricultural scientist) and late Lucy Atang King Oyebog( a University Professor). Joseph developed interest in tennis at an early age of 9, when on his way to school one day he noticed the presence of a good number of people at a local tennis club( SS Club) which belonged to the company his father worked for the Cameroon Development Corporation ( CDC) The SS club Bota then became his favourite spot and he started playing with the hip bone of a cow that was carved into the shape of a paddle locally called “bone bat”. |
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He later advanced to a “plank bat” that was carved from wood. When his uncle in the United States Prof. Christopher Atang learnt of his nephew’s love for tennis, he then offered him his first racket. At this point his parents noticed his obsession for the game and decided to send him to a boarding school (Sacred Heart College, Mankon Bamenda) 8 hours away from home so he could abandon his love for the sport. Unfortunately for them the school had three tennis courts next to his dormitory. The principal of the school Rev. Bro. John Philips ( another great tennis lover) after listening to his parents called on the young Joseph to take out his racket for a match after his parents had gone. |
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Success in the encounter provoked the principal to draft in the provincial coach Mr. Hapi Maurice to follow up with Joseph whom he believed had enormous potentials in the game. Coach Hapi trained Joseph twice a week which enabled his to win the school championships and the provincial championships which propelled him into the national championships (OSSUCS). |
At the same time the then President of the Cameroon Tennis Federation General James Tabe Tataw had launched a national campaign in search of budding talents in the sport. And a team of national coaches ( late Onguene Joseph, Zacharie Mougnol and Fondjo Michel ) spotted Joseph in the North West region of Cameroon and brought the media’s attention to the rising star. Joseph’s parents read about their son in the papers, saw him over national television and then decided to set up an appointment with the principal. A meeting was held at the school campus and it was decided that his parents will allow him play tennis while the principal had to monitor his progress in school. As an incentive his father then promised to send him to the United States on condition that he passes his GCE O Levels with good grades.
Joseph made his exams but unfortunately for him his father never lived to cherish this glorious moment as he was in a coma at the time of proclamation of results and later died in September 1988. Joseph was then enrolled at another college( Saint Josephs College Sasse-Buea) but an attempt to get practice time proved futile as the principal of the school refused him permission. Joseph then struggled to convince his late mother but she would not bulge. He later dropped out of school and decided to follow his tennis career. In a year, he rose to junior champion and then top 8 in the men’s national rankings.
After a brilliant performance at the SONARA Masters in 1990(where he upset the then national champion) Joseph was recruited into the Cameroon Davis Cup team and awarded a scholarship by the then General Manager of SONARA Bernard Eding.
Joseph trained in Ville Neuve Laubert France under Professor George laurent who easily got seduced by the athlete’s work ethic and decided to extend his stay at no cost to the sponsor. Returning home to extend his visitor’s stay in France for two years, the situation got complicated and he was sent to the Nick Bolletieri’s Academy in Bradenton- Sarasota Florida, USA. There Joseph trained with some of the World’s greatest and made friends with many famous players. He visited his sister in Columbus Georgia College who offered him a practice session with the local University (Columbus College). After a practice session and a win over the schools number one, he was offered a full scholarship. But he had to wait to find out whether his plans for SONARA to send him on the pro tour will materialize.
Due to the recession in Cameroon and the devaluation of the CAF frs, currency used in Cameroon, SONARA could not afford to extend his stay at the academy and he decided to sign with Columbus College and played tennis with the Cougars between 1995 to 1997. He also served as sparring partner for Venus and Serena over the 1996 vacation and earned a World Ranking in the doubles. He also played several Davis Cup matches and continued teaching at the local community while developing his childhood dream of opening a tennis academy in his native Cameroon.
In 1997 Joseph returned to Cameroon and captured the national championships after representing the country in the Davis Cup in Bulgaria. Shortly after he returned to the United States, his mother passed away and he had to return home to bury her. Considering the path he had taken, Joseph thought that the best way for him to spend his time will be to create a programme that would give underprivileged children a chance to play tennis while going to school so as to have a better quality of life.
In February 1999 the Oyebog Tennis Academy was born and dedicated to his late parents. Since the initiative was launched it has exposed some 5000 kids to tennis and about 20 of them are presently playing college tennis in the United States.
Today Joseph A. B. Oyebog runs OTA from Fairfield Connecticut where he works as a private tennis instructor and also as practice coach with Fordham University in Bronx, NY. He is married with two children and splits his time between Cameroon and the United States. |
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OTA INcorporation in the USA
OTA is a registered Organization in the State of Georgia since 1999 and is currently run in Connecticut with a tax exempt status (501 C 3). All donations to OTA are tax exempt.
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Donation Online
Check Donation:
3 Heron Lake Lane. Westport, CT 06880.
Or
P.O Box 96. Westport, CT 06881
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©2007 Oyebog Tennis Academy, Inc. |
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