"By the time I took the job, we were last..in the SEC, and in facilitles." -Billy Chadwick
Well, that's no longer the case, is it Billy?
From 1983 to 2014, Billy Chadwick guided the Ole Miss Rebels from the worst tennis program in the Southeastern Conference to one of the best, and cemented the Rebel netters as one of the most consistently well performing programs in all of collegiate tennis.
From the OleMissSports.com official site:
Chadwick's teams have made 20 consecutive NCAA appearances, including the NCAA Team Championship Final, the NCAA Semifinals four times, the NCAA Quarterfinals nine times and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen 16 times. A mainstay in the national rankings, his teams have finished ranked in the nation's top five seven times, and have earned a top 10 ranking 15 times.
The Rebels have won 18 Southeastern Conference team titles, including five overall SEC Championships, 10 Western Division titles and three SEC Tournament Championships.
Individually, Chadwick has coached three NCAA Champions, six SEC Champions, 28 All-Americans, 72 All-SEC selections and 76 NCAA individual qualifiers. Seven of his players have been ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Just wrap your mind around that for a bit. Two decades of continual postseason appearances, a consistent presence in top tennis polls, five overall SEC championships, three NCAA individual champions, 28(!) All-Americans, seven players ranked #1 in the country? Is this real life?
It is a tremendous understatement to offer some platitude like "Billy left the program in better shape than he found it," because in all reality coach Chadwick built Ole Miss tennis. He recruited some of the best amateur talent in the world to play in Oxford, Mississippi. He has created the fan support necessary for the continued expansion of Ole Miss' tennis facilities. He leaves behind a program with such inertia that those who take control of it in the future will have a tremendous foundation of success to build upon. He and his work are the reason that Ole Miss tennis is even a thing.
Hotty Toddy, and thanks for the hard work Coach Chadwick.