Provost, a 1947 graduate of Texas Southern University and recipient of the University's Outstanding Alumnus Award, gained international acclaim as a collegiate tennis coach.

TSU's tennis coach from 1966-1980, Provost captured numerous SWAC Championships, winning eight NAIA District titles from 1971-1979. He coached 11 All-Americans and was voted SWAC Coach of the Year in 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1977. In 1975, Provost was selected as NAIA National Coach of the Year. His reputation as a premier coach played a key role in his selection as the chairman of the NCAA Division II Tennis Committee.

Provost served as executive director of the Bayou Bend Tennis Center in Houston, a facility that hosted the American Tennis Association's National Summer Tennis Camp on several occasions.

An avid photographer, Provost was the founder of Provost Studio/Provost and Associates in 1948. He performed photography duties for high schools and college yearbooks throughout Texas and Louisiana. Provost served as the Southwest region's official photographer for EBONY magazine.