JUNE 13 • 2024 | 33
J
N
B
enji Jacobson is an anomaly in the
modern world of college athletics.
The Bloomfield Hills native and
2018 Jewish News High School Athlete of
the Year stayed at the same university for
his entire collegiate career.
Jacobson actually played on the Tulane
University’s men’s tennis team for six years
before his eligibility expired at the end of
the season this spring.
He had the additional two years of eligi-
bility because he red-shirted his freshman
season and took advantage of an extra year
of eligibility granted to college athletes by
the NCAA because of the shutdown of
college sports caused by the COVID-19
pandemic.
“There were lows during my time at
Tulane. It wasn’t a linear career,” Jacobson
said, referring to struggles on the court,
injuries he suffered, recovering from a bad
case of COVID that kept him out of action
for a month, and having to leave school
and return home for five months because
of the pandemic.
“I have no regrets staying there for six
years,” Jacobson said. “I worked hard to
achieve what I did. I loved my coaches,
who believed in me, and I loved my team-
mates, who became my best friends. Why
leave? I couldn’t find a better scenario
anywhere.”
All the hard work Jacobson put in cul-
minated in a great season this spring, the
best season of his collegiate career. The
doubles specialist went 22-8 in doubles
matches.
He served as the team’s captain — “the
greatest honor of my life,” he said — and
was named Tulane’s Male Teammate of the
Year.
“I’ve always considered myself a team
player, so getting that award meant a lot to
me,” he said.
Jacobson, 24, left Tulane, located in New
Orleans, with two degrees.
After getting a bachelor’s degree in polit-
ical science, he earned a master’s degree in
management with a concentration in real
estate.
He’s landed an internship this summer
at Toll Brothers, a Fortune 500 home con-
struction company in Denver.
“I’ll spend time there in every depart-
ment, learning how it works and every-
one’s roles,” he said.
His competitive tennis career is over, he
said, although he intends to play in tour-
naments for fun.
Before he headed to Denver, Jacobson
checked off something on his bucket list.
He attended the French Open tennis
tournament in Paris in late May and early
June. The tournament is played each
spring on the iconic red clay courts at
Roland Garros Stadium.
Jacobson went to Paris with his father,
Michael, a former University of Colorado
tennis player who also had the French
Open on his bucket list, and his twin sister,
Isabella, a University of Michigan grad
who is employed as an assistant buyer at
the Bergdorf Goodman department stores
in New York City.
His mother Robyn remained back in the
States.
Needless to say, Benji enjoyed watching
the professional tennis players fight it out
on the red clay.
“I’ve been to the U.S. Open. I’ve been
to Wimbledon. Those tournaments were
great. The French Open was unbelievable,”
he said. “The matches are long and physi-
cally demanding. The ball moves at a slow-
er pace and bounces higher than on other
courts. My sister isn’t a big tennis fan, but
she loved watching the matches there, too.”
The Jacobson twins graduated in 2018
from Cranbrook-Kingswood High School
in Bloomfield Hills. They’re the fourth
generation of their family to attend the
school.
Benji put together quite a tennis resume
at Cranbrook-Kingswood before he went
to Tulane.
He was a three-time All-American,
three-time state champion, and he
was named “Mr. Tennis” in Michigan
in Division 3 when he was a senior.
He didn’t lose a set during his senior sea-
son.
Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
After finishing an up-and-down tennis career at Tulane
University on a high note, Benji Jacobson took a bucket list trip
to Paris to watch the French Open.
Payoff for Perseverance
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS
Benji Jacobson (center), his father, Michael, and twin sister, Isabella, are in the stands at the
main court at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, home of the French Open tennis tournament.
SUBMITTED PHOTO