Dan Schimmelpfennig
Dennis Whitley
As a young man, tennis was not Dan Schimmelpfennig’s sport of choice. Dan was a 220 lb. high school football star who received multiple scholarship offers to play football in college. One of the scholarship offers he turned down was to the University of Alabama. No one knows if Dan would have been another feather in legendary coach Bear Bryant’s famous houndstooth hat because he decided to stay close to family and friends at Ball State University in Indiana. At Ball State, Dan continued to play football while double majoring in Psychology and Social Work. He then went on to receive his master’s degree in Social Work from Indiana University.
After college, Dan spent the first five years of his career providing family counseling before becoming a medical social worker/discharge planner for Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. As a discharge planner, Dan counseled patients leaving the hospital on what their needs would be once at home. This could include equipment, physical therapy, visiting nurses, and more. Dan spent 30 years at Methodist Hospital until retiring in 2011.
In high school, Dan played some tennis but his focus then was on football. At Ball State, he began to play more tennis and racquetball which led to playing on USTA teams at the 3.5 to 4.5 level. At PebbleCreek, Dan has played on the men’s 3.5 and 4.0 teams while also playing with The Amigos men’s tennis group.
Dan taught tennis to his son, daughter, and wife Jeanne. The children played on tennis teams in high school, and Dan and Jeanne played mixed doubles with other couples in Indianapolis. After visiting friends in PebbleCreek for six years, Dan and Jeanne decided to leave Indianapolis and make PebbleCreek their home.
Once in PebbleCreek, they both became involved with the Tennis Club. Dan was the vice president for two years, and Jeanne was the social director for two years as well.
If someone tells you that Dan is in a lot of hot water, they’re not lying. One of Dan’s daily rituals is to relax in their backyard hot tub after playing tennis and working out at the fitness center. Dan also enjoys reading, watching sports on TV, playing cards with friends, and playing backgammon.
Not only is Dan an excellent tennis player, he plays the game with a positive attitude that makes playing with him fun. His friendly nature and willingness to always help the Tennis Club is why Dan is our Tennis Player of the Month.