Men's Tennis Welcomes Former Cardinal Gene Orlando to Coach Staff
January 11, 2023 | Men's Tennis
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ball State men's tennis head coach Bill Richards is excited to announce former Cardinals standout Gene Orlando will join his coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach.Â
"It's special to have Gene join our program as a volunteer assistant coach," Richards said. "Gene is one of our all-time great players and a Ball State Hall of Famer. His years of coaching experience at Michigan State are priceless, and he will be a big help to our players and me as our third on-court coach during match play. Gene was a high-energy, highly motivated player and an intense competitor. He still has that energy and passion, which will be a big bonus for our program. I can't tell you how excited I am to have him involved with our team."
Orlando, the father of current Ball State senior Vince Orlando, was the head coach at Michigan State for 31 seasons before he retired after the 2022 season. The winningest coach in program history, with 361 victories, he was also the longest-tenured men's tennis coach in the Big Ten Conference.Â
Orlando led the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013 and had four doubles teams and four singles compete at the NCAA Championships. His student-athletes earned All-Big Ten honors 21 times. In 2015, he mentored the first All-American doubles tandem in Michigan State history as Harry Jadun and John Patrick Mullane advanced to the national semifinals. He also helped the Spartans win a single-season record 18 matches in 2011 and 2012.
A 1987 graduate of Ball State, Orlando lettered in tennis from 1983 to 1987 and helped the Cardinals claim four straight MAC Championships and post a four-year Mid-American Conference mark of 29-0.
Orlando won the 1987 Mid-American Conference No. 3 singles title after winning the league's No. 2 doubles and No. 4 singles crowns in 1986. He helped BSU earn an 83-14 record over his career and served as a graduate assistant coach in 1987-88. As a graduate assistant, he helped the Cardinals earn another MAC crown.
The Ball State men's tennis spring season starts at home against Eastern Illinois on Jan. 20 at 1 pm ET at the Northwest YMCA Tennis Center.
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Players Mentioned
