Bidyut Kumar Goswami, born to Former Supreme Court Judge and Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court Late Parbati K. Goswami and late Jyotirmoyee Goswami, achieved a remarkable milestone by being inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of fame on 12th October 2023 in a ceremony Held in New York, an Honor reserved only for the few.
The Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame is a revered institution established to pay homage to individuals who have left an indelible mark in the realm of intercollegiate athletics through their participation, support, or significant contributions, thereby bringing immense recognition, honor, distinction, and excellence to Columbia University.
Fondly referred to as Bid, Goswami started playing Tennis at The Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. He went on to the pro tour and represented India in The Davis Cup in 1974-75, earning the Indian National Doubles Title in 1978 and Singles Title in 1979.
He moved to The United States shortly afterward, taking up a job at as the Head Pro at The Westchester Country Club while competing on the side.
He joined Columbia University Men’s Tennis team as a coach in 1981 and took over the programme in November 1982. In a career Spanning 37 Years, Goswami laid the foundation for the future success of Columbia Tennis. The winningest coach in the history of Columbia tennis with a 493-196 record, Goswami has led the Lions to an astonishing 14 Ivy League titles, including five-straight conference championships from 2013-18.
He has guided Columbia to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament three times and achieved the first top-five national ranking in program and Ivy League history. He has coached players who received a total of four All-America honors as well as seven Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, 46 All-Ivy League doubles players, and 69 AllIvy League singles players honors. Additionally, Goswami led the Lions to the Sweet 16 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Indoor Team Championship four times. Columbia is the only Ivy League school to ever reach the Sweet 16 round in the history of the tournament.
His 14 Ivy League titles rank as the second-highest total won by a head coach in Columbia Athletics history behind fencing coach George Kolombatovich, who won 17 men’s titles and eight women’s championships in 33 years from 1979-2010. Goswami was named the first-ever Ivy League Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year in 2015. Goswami’s Coaching style is based on building relationships. Always calm and collected, he never felt the need to raise his voice but can be assertive, when need be, making sure his team wins the right way. For all his accolades, what truly stood out about Goswami is his humility.
He is a coaching success unlike many others. Upon his retirement in 2019, Columbia Men’s tennis head coaching position has been named the Bidyut K Goswami Head Coach of Men’s Tennis in an endowment of $2 Million, a first in Columbia’s history for any employee. He won the Ivy Coach of the year Award in 2015, when it was first launched, and in his final season of 2019 he won the Ivy coach Award again. He has been named Wilson/ITA National Men’s Tennis Coach of the year in the same year by the inter collegiate tennis Association of the United States. Bidyut K. Goswami’s impact on Columbia University’s tennis program is nothing short of extraordinary, making his induction into the Hall of Fame a truly welldeserved honor.
