Sam Winterbotham

Last updated

Sam Winterbotham
Current position
Title Head coach
Record178-60 (64-26 SEC)
Biographical details
Born (1973-10-01) 1 October 1973 (age 48)
Stoke-on-Trent, Great Britain
Playing career
1996–1999 Oklahoma Christian
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2002–2006 Colorado
2006–2017 Tennessee
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
SEC (2010, 2011)
SEC Tournament (2010)
Awards
2006 ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year
2008 & 2010 SEC Coach of the Year
2009 ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year
2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year
2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year
2013 ITA National Coach of the Year
2013 ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year

Sam Winterbotham (born 1 October 1973) is a British college tennis coach and former college player. He was the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers men's tennis team of the University of Tennessee. Winterbotham was previously an assistant coach for the Baylor Bears where he helped guide the team to the 2004 national title with the team that he had previously recruited. His first stint as a head coach came in 2002 when he became the head coach for the Colorado Buffaloes men's tennis team. [1]

Contents

Playing career

He attended Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he was a four-year NAIA All-American and was ranked No. 1 nationally. In 1997 he won top honors as the NAIA Rolex national singles champion. During his time at OCU Winterbotham was also named the 1999 Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year in soccer, where he was named to the All-Region first team and honorable mention All-America team. In 2007 Winterbotham was inducted into the Oklahoma Christian Athletic Hall of Fame. He said it took him only one semester at OCU for him to know he wanted to get into coaching tennis. [2]

Coaching career

Baylor Assistant Coach (1999-2002)

Winterbotham was an assistant coach at Baylor from 1999 to 2002 where he managed to help turn the Bears into a national powerhouse. His global recruiting efforts played an instrumental part in Baylor's 2004 NCAA title.

Colorado Head Coach (2002-06)

In 2002, Winterbotham earned his first head coaching job when he was hired to coach Colorado and was tasked with transforming the program into a competitor in the Big 12. During his time at Colorado, the team improved steadily every year. During the spring 2006 season, he guided the team to its first 20-win season since 1997, its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988 and a final ITA ranking of No. 23 which was a school record. Despite this success, the men's tennis program was cut following the season because of athletic department budgetary reasons. [3]

Tennessee Head Coach (2006-2017)

Winterbotham joined the Tennessee Volunteers in 2006 and quickly guided the Vols back to national prominence. He became the first coach in program history to capture back-to-back SEC regular-season titles when the Vols won in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, the Vols broke the school record for shutouts with 16, swept the SEC regular season and conference titles and reached the NCAA team final for the third time in program history. [4] Every season at Tennessee, he has been assisted by former top 30 ATP professional Chris Woodruff. Volunteer assistant coaches have included Milos Popovic, Christopher Williams, Ben Rogers and Ben Testerman.

So far, Winterbotham has accumulated a 178-60 overall record at UT, the most wins for a Tennessee coach in his first seven seasons. That record includes a 64–26 record in the Southeastern Conference, including a 21-1 SEC record from 2010 to 2011. While at Tennessee, Winterbotham has had 16 All-America and 24 All-SEC selections Three of his players have reached the No. 1 national college singles ranking during their careers: John-Patrick Smith (2010), Rhyne Williams (2011) and Mikelis Libietis (2013). Three doubles teams have also earned the top national ranking [5]

He was voted the 2013 National Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for his team's consistent top-10 performances and player development during his first seven seasons. [6] The 2013 Vols reached the NCAA quarterfinals and ended the year ranked sixth nationally, while featuring Libietis at the top of the lineup.

In 2014, Winterbotham coached his first NCAA champions. Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese won the 2014 NCAA doubles title, beating Ohio State's Peter Kobelt and Kevin Metka 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6) in the final. [7] Prior to this breakthrough, Winterbotham had coached four NCAA individual finalists: 2008 NCAA Singles – John-Patrick Smith; 2009 and 2010 NCAA Doubles – Smith and Davey Sandgren; and 2011 NCAA Singles – Rhyne Williams.

On 4 May 2017, it was announced that Winterbotham was being relieved of his duties as head coach at the University of Tennessee.

See also

Related Research Articles

Tennessee Volunteers University of Tennessee athletic teams

The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In January 2021, Danny White was introduced as the Volunteers' Director of Athletics.

Chris Woodruff American tennis player

Chris Woodruff is an American former professional tennis player and current head coach at the University of Tennessee. He won the 1997 Canada Masters, reached the quarterfinals of the 2000 Australian Open and attained a career-high ranking of world No. 29 in August 1997.

Tennessee Volunteers basketball College mens basketball team representing the University of Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers Men's Basketball Team is the collegiate men's basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home games in Thompson–Boling Arena, on a court nicknamed "the Summitt", after former Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. With a current capacity of 21,678, Tennessee has consistently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in terms of volume of attendance, averaging 14,817 attendance from 1988 through 2006, and averaging 17,194 attendance from 2007 through 2018 after reducing seating capacity prior to the 2007 season. Historically, Tennessee ranks third in the SEC in all-time wins. Many notable players have played collegiately at Tennessee—players such as Ernie Grunfeld, Bernard King, Dale Ellis, Allan Houston, and grant Williams who all played in the NBA.

Tommy Bartlett (basketball) American basketball and tennis player and coach

Thomas George Bartlett was an American college basketball and tennis player, as well as a college basketball and tennis head coach. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Bartlett served as the men's basketball head coach for Carson-Newman College, the University of Chattanooga, and the University of Florida, and also as the men's tennis head coach at the University of Tennessee and UT-Chattanooga.

Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball Womens university softball team from Knoxville, Tennessee

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team represents the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA Division I women's softball competition. Coached by Karen Weekly, the team has become a consistently top tier team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Tennessee Volunteers womens volleyball American collegiate volleyball team

The Tennessee Volunteers women's volleyball team represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home matches in the Thompson–Boling Arena on the university's campus, and are currently led by 3rd-year head coach Eve Rackham.

Tennessee Volunteers mens cross country

The Tennessee Volunteers men's cross country program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The men's program competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The men's cross country team officially started in 1924.

Tennessee Volunteers womens cross country

The Tennessee Volunteers women's cross country program represents the University of Tennessee (UT) located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The women's program competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The women's cross country team officially started in 1974.

Tennessee Volunteers mens golf

The Tennessee Volunteers men's golf team represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Vols compete at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Vols currently rotate between 16 different golf courses located in the state of Tennessee. The current coach for the Volunteer men is Jim Kelson who is entering his 13th season as Tennessee's head coach. Since the Vol's inaugural season in 1934 they have won three SEC championships and competed in 17 NCAA Championships.

Tennessee Volunteers mens track and field

The Tennessee Volunteers men's track and field program represents the University of Tennessee in the sport of track and field. The indoor and outdoor programs compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Vols host their home outdoor meets at the newly renovated Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium, located on the university's Knoxville, Tennessee campus. Their rich tradition of success features 4 national titles, 7 finishes as national runner-ups, 62 NCAA individual champions, numerous All-Americans, 25 Olympians, 43 SEC championships, and 108 combined scoring appearances in the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships.

John-Patrick Smith Australian tennis player

John-Patrick Tracey "JP" Smith is an Australian professional tennis player who competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour, both in singles and doubles. He attended the University of Tennessee from 2007 through 2011 where he was a four-time All-American and made it to the college No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles. Smith reached his highest ATP singles ranking of No. 108 on 28 September 2015, and his highest ATP doubles ranking of No. 52 on 11 September 2017.

Rhyne Williams American tennis player

Robert Rhyne Williams is an American tennis player. He has not played on the ATP Tour since 2018 and is currently a tennis coach at the University of Tennessee.

Tennys Sandgren American tennis player

Tennys Sandgren II is an American professional tennis player. He has achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 41 on January 14, 2019. He broke into the top 100 of the ATP rankings toward the end of 2017 after competing mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour. Born and raised in Gallatin, Tennessee, he played two years of college tennis at the University of Tennessee before launching his professional career.

Robert Owen Majors is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1972 NFL Draft. Majors played college football at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He was a consensus All-American in 1971. He was also a member of the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League (WFL). He is the younger brother of former Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors.

Hunter Reese American tennis player

Hunter Reese is an American tennis player. Reese currently competes in doubles on the ATP and the ATP Challenger Tour. He has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 73 achieved on 27 June 2022.

Miķelis Lībietis is a Latvian former tennis player that competed on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF Men's Circuit. On 28 November 2016, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of 352, and his highest doubles ranking of 172 was achieved on 6 November 2017. He has also been a regular member of the Latvian Davis Cup team since 2014.

2016–17 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team American college basketball season

The 2016–17 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Volunteers were led by second-year head coach Rick Barnes. The team played its home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the second round of the SEC Tournament to Georgia.

Tennessee Volunteers mens tennis

The Tennessee Volunteer men's tennis team represents the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN. The program has appeared in 32 NCAA Tournaments. Tennys Sandgren, a breakout player on the ATP World Tour, helped lead Tennessee to the NCAA finals in 2010.

Tennessee Lady Volunteers tennis

The Tennessee Lady Volunteer tennis team represents the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN. The program has qualified for 29 NCAA Tournaments, including 20 straight from 1995 to 2014. They are led by former player and current 6th year head coach Alison Ojeda.

Tennessee Volunteers womens swimming and diving

The Tennessee Volunteers women's Swimming and Diving program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers are currently coached by Matt Kredich. The Lady Vols host their swim home meets in Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center which was newly built in 2008. The Lady compete in the SEC where they have won 2 SEC team titles, 84 individual, relay, and diving titles. Additionally, the program is one of only 3 that have scored in all 40 NCAA meets, and it has produced 8 NCAA individual and relay titles, 16 Olympians, and 3 Olympic medalists.

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Sam Winterbotham". utsports.com. University of Tennessee. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  2. ↑ McKenzie, Wes. "Winterbotham Success Leads to OC Hall of Fame". Vision Online. Oklahoma Christian University. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  3. ↑ Dave, Link. "John Collins wants final season with UT tennis a winner". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  4. ↑ Pruitt, Amanda. "The First Five Years". utsports.com. University of Tennessee. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "University of Tennessee Athletics: Men's Tennis". www.utsports.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "ITA Announces 2013 NCAA Division I National Award Winners". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  7. ↑ Frierson, John. "UT's Hunter Reese and Mikelis Libietis have 'something special' in NCAA doubles championship". GoVolsXtra. Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.