2020-21 is his 27th year coaching the University of Alberta tennis program.  

University of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas Tennis Head Coach Russ Sluchinski was born and raised in Drayton Valley, AB. Sluchinski took over as coach of the men’s team in 1995 and coached the team for four years as a club team. In 1999, he was appointed as the Golden Bear Tennis team’s first head coach, after the team joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as University of Alberta’s 20th Varsity Sport.

Sluchinski graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Physical Education Degree in 1986. After graduating, he began coaching at the University of Alberta Tennis Centre where he developed a number of provincial and nationally ranked tennis players.  During  this period, he represented Alberta ten times at the Canadian Junior Nationals as provincial coach, coached at the Canada Summer Games, and represented Alberta as the under twelve Regional Scout.

A highlight of his coaching career came in 2001 when he coached the Canadian contingent at the World Universiade Games in Beijing, China. What made the experience even more memorable was that three of the four men and two of the four women who made up the Canadian Team were members of his Golden Bear and Pandas Teams. 

In 2004, the new Saville Community Sports Centre opened in Edmonton, adjacent to Foote Field, home to U of A football, soccer, and field hockey. The Centre features eight indoor tennis courts with excellent viewing. Sluchinski played a key role in making this new facility a reality. The Centre is now home to the Golden Bear and Pandas tennis teams and has had a lasting impact on the Tennis Program at the University of Alberta. In 2009, Russ attended his second World Universiade Games, this time in Belgrade, Serbia.