Men's Tennis Head Coach Tim Siegel Will Step Down at End Of Season
By: Trenten Hilburn
Updated: December 7, 2012
After
more than 20 years of walking the sidelines and baselines at Texas Tech
University, head men's tennis coach Tim Siegel will retire effective at
the end of this season, announced Kirby Hocutt, director of athletics.
"I
congratulate Tim Siegel for a tremendous and successful coaching
career," said Hocutt. "His
positive impact and influence on hundreds of student-athletes has been
exceptional. Tim's leadership role within the department and with Texas
Tech Tennis has been exemplary and highlighted by his role in building
The Don and Ethel McLeod Tennis Center, which
ranks as one of the finest facilities in the Big 12 Conference."
His teams have earned the distinction of being ranked for 19 consecutive years, including
in the top 25 for six of the last eight seasons.
"The
last 20-plus years have been incredible," said Siegel. "I want to thank
all of
my players, my assistant coaches and every Texas Tech administrator who
has helped me along the way. I want to thank T. Jones for hiring me in
December of 1992.
"I
sincerely appreciate every player who has played for me and played for
our great
university. I have always wanted to make sure that I made an impact in
each of my players' lives and helped them prepare for life after college
both on and off the court. Getting a degree from Texas Tech has always
been the most important thing. No one loves
Texas Tech more than I and I have truly been blessed these last 20
years. I look forward to finishing my career as coach this spring."
In his 21st season as the head coach at Texas Tech, Tim Siegel has turned the Red Raider
Tennis program into a perennial contender - both the Big 12 Conference and the nation.
"We
have great coaches and great people here at Texas Tech and an
incredibly talented
administration led by Kirby Hocutt," said Siegel "I am the biggest
sports fan in the world and the biggest Texas Tech sports fan there is
and I am excited about the future of Texas Tech."
A
three-time ITA Regional Coach of the Year and two-time Big 12 Coach of
the Year recipient,
Siegel has compiled a 283-213 (57.1 percent) record as the men's head
coach at Texas Tech, while leading the Red Raiders to the NCAA
Championships 12 times in his tenure. Along with his success on the
courts, the Red Raiders have maintained a team GPA above
3.0 in each season since 1999, earning numerous academic honors in the
process.
Including
his two-year stint at SMU (1991-92), where he went 28-23 as the head
coach
of the Lady Mustangs and his two-year tenure as the head coach of the
Lady Raiders (1997-98), where he went 22-22, Siegel has a career record
of 333-258 (56.3 percent) over 24 seasons.
While
directing the Lady Raiders, Siegel produced four All-Big 12 performers
and 13
Academic All-Big 12 performers. He also coached the 1998 Big 12 Freshman
of the Year and ITA Rookie of the Year in Zana Zlebnik. He also became
the first coach to lead the Lady Raiders into the ITA rankings finishing
in the Top 75 during both seasons at the
helm of the program.
In
2012, Texas Tech advanced to its sixth straight postseason appearance
as the Red
Raiders finished the year with a 16-9 record and a No. 23 national
ranking. Siegel's Red Raiders advanced to the second round of the NCAA
Tournament in Berkeley, Calif., and saw Gonzalo Escobar and Raony
Carvalho advance to the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championships.
The duo earned All-America honors and were selected to the ITA All-Star
team. A conference record six players earned selection to the Academic
All-Big 12 squad.
His
efforts also saw the Red Raiders draw the second largest crowd to a
tennis match
in the nation in 2012, when 1,047 fans packed the stands to watch Texas
Tech upset No. 15 Texas, 4-3, on Apr. 7. For the season, Texas Tech
ranked fifth nationally in attendance.
Since
joining the Big 12, Siegel's players has helped Texas Tech produce four
All-America
honors, five Academic All-America honors, 12 ITA Scholar-Athletes, 33
All-Conference honors, 47 Academic All-Conference honors and 16 position
champions.
He
has won at least 15 matches in a season six times, including four of
the last five
years. Siegel has had three teams reach the 20-win plateau - 2005
(25-4), 2008 (20-6) and 2010 (22-6). The 2005 team reached the NCAA
Sweet 16.
A
native of New Orleans, Siegel played tennis collegiately at the
University of Arkansas,
where he also earned a degree in journalism in 1986. During his
four-year career, Siegel was a two-time All-American and a three-time
All-Southwest Conference singles champion.
Following
his time as a Razorback, Siegel went on to play professionally and
reached
a top 100 world ranking in doubles. Teamed with Jimmy Arias, Siegel
reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Clay Court Championships and was a
semifinalists in Brisbane, Bologna and Florance. Siegel also reached
the third round of doubles at the U.S. Open, Australian
Open and the second round of Wimbledon. Siegel's professional tenure
included wins over John Lloyd-Paul NcNamee, Ivan Lendl-Bill Scanion, and
Yannick Noah-Paul Annacone.
After
completing eligibility at Arkansas, Siegel began his coaching career as
an assistant
coach with the Razorbacks, while he continued to play professionally.
Siegel then took his first head coaching job at SMU. Siegel has also
worked as a coach on the professional level, guiding top players such as
Joey Rive, Robert Seguso and Richey Reneberg.
Siegel
and his wife, Jenny, have four children, daughters Alex, Kate, and
Ellie, and
son, Luke. Alex is enrolled at the Covenant School of Nursing. In
addition to coaching, Siegel's favorite hobby is being a dad to his four
children. When he is not found at the courts, he spends his time with
his loving wife and amazing kids.
