Coach Brinkman rejoined the Marlins men's coaching staff in the Spring of 2022. Brinkman has a long history coaching the sport of tennis in the 757 with stints at Old Dominion, Norfolk State, and even here at VWU in the mid-2000's.
Returning to the court to coach the Marlins men's team, Brinkman helped the team advance to the post season ODAC Tournament with the men advancing to the finals against Washington & Lee. Under his instruction, five men's players to ODAC post-season accolades including Mitchell Perry who garnered first-team accolades in both singles and doubles action.
Brinkman has been a coach over at NSU since 2020. Prior to starting at NSU, he coached across town at ODU for 12 years as a volunteer assistant coach from 2008-19. He worked with both programs his first seven years and then exclusively with the men the last five.
He helped coach seven players to the NCAA Tournament in either singles or doubles. Several players also went on to capture player of the year honors in either the Colonial Athletic Association or Conference USA.
The Monarch men climbed as high as No. 25 in the national rankings in the 2018 season. ODU defeated a pair of top-25 teams that season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the C-USA title.
He was the head men's and women's coach at Virginia Wesleyan for five years from 2003-07, where he became the winningest head coach in school history. He led the men's squad to a 61-20 record and the women to a 64-16 mark and a first ever regional ranking. The 2007 women’s team finished 18-2, the best record in school history. Also that year, his No. 1 men’s doubles team earned the Marlins’ first NCAA berth in school history.
In 2006, Brinkman was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Prior to Virginia Wesleyan, he spent time as the head tennis coach at Maury High School from 1989-2000, where he led the program to five regional championships. He also served as the lead psychologist for Norfolk Public Schools. Brinkman is recognized nationally and internationally for his work with suicide prevention.
He and his wife, Maggie, have three children, Brigid, Katie and Peter. His daughter Katie and son Peter played collegiate tennis at UNC Wilmington and Robert Morris, respectively. They have four grandchildren: Anna, Lucy, William and Flynn.
