October 5, 2026
Rick Godsey ’85 finds a natural fit between the game of tennis and the Hampden-Sydney experience: each one helping young men to develop character, confidence, and a team-centered mindset. To ensure that future generations of Tigers get a chance to experience the lessons, camaraderie, and lifelong friendships that make the sport—and the College—so meaningful, he included Hampden-Sydney Tennis in his estate plans, creating an endowment for the program.
“I want Hampden-Sydney Tennis to be one of the best teams in the country, a nationally recognized program—that we will be to Division III what UVA Tennis is to Division I,” Godsey declares.
Growing up in Petersburg, Virginia, Godsey played number one seed on his high school tennis team. A friend of his father’s encouraged Rick to look at Hampden-Sydney as he began his college search. “Between the beautiful campus and the personalized attention from the incredible Dean of Admission Anita Garland, I was sold 10 times over on Hampden-Sydney,” Godsey recalls.
Godsey found his niche on the tennis team and as a brother of Sigma Chi fraternity, which he and a few others rechartered at the College. “Sigma Chi and tennis were where I developed my core group of friends in college, many of whom I’m still close with today,” he says. “Those close friendships and sense of brotherhood enhanced my Hampden-Sydney experience.”
Though he majored in biology, Godsey enjoyed all his teachers and professors and appreciated the personalized connection the faculty and students have at Hampden-Sydney. A trip to Jamaica with Dr. Gemborys to study tropical biology “was one of the most memorable experiences of my life,” Godsey says.
Thinking he would eventually become a veterinarian, Godsey spent the year after graduation working for his father, who owned a printing company, and never looked back. Excelling in sales, Godsey eventually became president of the company, overseeing its growth before selling it in 2010. He is now the founder and owner of YesDog Direct, a specialized direct-mail marketing company in Richmond, Virginia.
Still an avid player, Godsey has also remained involved with Hampden-Sydney Tennis over the years as a member of the Hampden-Sydney Racquet Club—the team’s affinity group—where he developed a close friendship with former H-SC Head Coach Byron Balkin. “I had been coaching high school tennis for about 10 years, and Byron would ask me about players that might be a good fit for Hampden-Sydney College and the tennis team,” Godsey says. “We talked constantly about coaching, and he believed I would be a great college coach and asked me to be his assistant. It was a great decision as my love for Hampden-Sydney and the tennis program grew exponentially because of Coach Balkin.”
After serving as the acting head coach the last two years, Godsey is extremely excited about Hampden-Sydney’s tennis program under incoming Head Coach Brian Boland, who won four NCAA Division I National Championships as head coach of UVA Men’s Tennis. “I have had the pleasure of working with Brian for a few months, and his expectation of player performance is very high,” Godsey says. “He can see things about players very quickly that many coaches do not recognize, and his excitement and energy for the program are contagious! I may not have a crystal ball, but I think you will see the Tigers have a NCAA Championship in the next 4 years.”
Godsey is equally enthusiastic about the future of Tiger Tennis and says that including the program in his estate plans is his way of showing his commitment to Hampden-Sydney Tennis and his belief in the program’s potential.
“A favorite motto is: ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way,’” Godsey says. “I hope my gift will lead others to follow me in providing deserving young men with a Hampden-Sydney education through the tennis program or otherwise. Hampden-Sydney provides its students lifelong skills to excel in business and in life. What better gift can you give than that?”