ATHENS, Ga. — Longtime Georgia women's tennis coach Jeff Wallace, who has been with the University as a student-athlete and coach for more than 40 years, announced Friday he would be retiring at the end of this season.
“Jeff Wallace is Georgia women’s tennis,” Georgia Athletics Director Josh Brooks said. “He played for and learned from the legendary Dan Magill and immediately seized the opportunity to lead the program with integrity and commitment to the student-athletes. The program’s rise to national prominence under Jeff’s leadership includes more than 800 victories, six national championships and countless successful graduates of the University of Georgia. While Jeff will be missed, he will forever be a part of the Bulldog family.”
Wallace has led the Bulldogs for 38 seasons and captured six national championships (two NCAA outdoor, four ITA Team National Indoor) and 20 Southeastern Conference titles (11 regular season, nine tournament). He is one of a select few Division I collegiate coaches across all sports whose teams have played for a national championship in five different decades. Specifically, his teams have advanced to 14 national championship matches. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs have made 36 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including 12 Final Fours.
"Four decades ago, Dan Magill, Vince Dooley and Liz Murphey took a chance on me," Wallace said. "I was a rookie coach in 1985, and they believed in me and gave me a wonderful opportunity. I appreciate that even more now as I reflect on their decision to entrust me with the program."
His student-athlete have earned nine national individual titles, five in singles and four in doubles. He has coached two Honda Award winners, two National Players of the Year and three National Seniors of the Year. Forty-one of his student-athletes earned All-America honors 118 times. Success off the courts includes 55 Bulldogs being selected to the SEC Honor Roll 121 times, 33 ITA Scholar-Athletes and five named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Many of Wallace’s squads have been named ITA All-Academic Teams as well.
"I would like to thank all the student-athletes for their championship drive on and off the courts. Throughout my time, they have displayed the ability to achieve in the classroom as well as on the courts and be truly elite," Wallace said.
With an overall record of 814-198, his .804 winning percentage leads all active women’s coaches. His 814 career victories ranks second in all of women’s tennis. Wallace, a 14-time Coach of the Year selection, is one of only two coaches in women’s tennis history with at least 800 wins. Also, he is the only collegiate women’s tennis coach to be named National Coach of the Year four times.
The Bulldogs have finished with a top five national ranking 17 times and ended the year in the top 10 a total of 31 times. Currently, the 2023 team is ranked No. 3. Georgia enters the 2023 NCAA Championships as the No. 4 overall seed with a 22-4 record. The Bulldogs will play host to first/second round action starting Friday at the Magill Tennis Complex. Georgia will face Florida A&M in the first round at 1 p.m.
A native of Portland, Ore., Wallace played for Magill at the University of Georgia and won an SEC singles title in 1985. The next year he began his coaching career at UGA. He took a team that had a losing record and turned them into a squad that posted a 20-9 mark and a spot in the final national top 25 rankings. One year later, he guided Georgia to the NCAA national championship match. Only once during his time as coach of the Bulldogs has the team missed the NCAA Tournament, and that was his first year in 1986.
"I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life and that will include spending time with my wife Sabina, my children and grandchildren," he said.
Georgia Athletics will celebrate Wallace’s career at a date to be determined in the future. I look forward to being a fan and cheering on everyone at the University of Georgia.
