In 1978, a tennis coach opened the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Bollettieri went on to train future stars like Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Maria Sharapova at the facility, and attracted the attention of the sports world. IMG purchased the academy in 1987.
The IMG Academy went on to become, essentially, America’s premier boarding school destination for aspiring student-athletes in every major American sport. Baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, tennis, track — the academy was churning out pros in every direction. In 2010, the academy finally added football and became a can’t-miss opportunity for every high school student with the means, desire and talent to start the college experience a few years early.