Bill May
Director of TennisAlma Mater: Indiana Wesleyan-1987
E-mail: wmay@seu.edu
Office Phone: 863-667-5071
Bill May becomes the third Southeastern women’s tennis coach in school history, and the first ever coach of the Fire’s newly started men’s tennis program. His official title at Southeastern will be Director of Tennis, where he will oversee the day-to-day operations of both programs.
Before taking the job at Southeastern, Bill spent seven seasons at Oneonta State University, in Oneonta, N.Y. Similar to the task at hand with the Fire, he was responsible for coaching both the men's and women's tennis programs.
Last year, he helped guide the women's program to a third place finish in the SUNYAC championships, as the Red Dragons had three individuals earn SUNYAC All-Conference honors. The men’s team achieved an overall record of 8-7, against some of the top teams in the Northeast Region. By mid-March, the men achieved a ranking of No. 19 in the Northeast, which marked the second time during his tenure that the men's program earned a top 25 ranking in the region.
He leaves Oneonta State with a 132-70 record (men’s and women’s tennis combined).
Before joining the Red Dragons, he spent three seasons at Indiana Wesleyan University, where he posted a 60-10 record while coaching the men’s tennis program. His best season with the Wildcats came in 2003, when he led the program to a 19-3 mark, and a second place finish in the NCCAA National Championship Tournament. Bill twice led Indiana Wesleyan to the Mid-Central College Conference Championship, and was twice named Conference Coach of the Year.
Prior to his stint with Indiana Wesleyan, he served as the Sports Information Director and men’s and women’s tennis coach at Huntington College for four seasons. While at Huntington, he was named Coach of the Year for the men's tennis program in 1998. In 2000, he led the men’s team to the MCC Tournament Championship, while earning Coach of the Year honors for both programs.
In 1999, May received the NAIA National Coach of the Year honors for community service, which was awarded by the United States Tennis Association.
May has coached nine NAIA/NCCAA All-Americans and 20 NAIA/NCCAA Scholar Athlete All-Americans. He also served as the chair for both programs within the Mid-Central Conference, and Region VIII of the NCAA. While coaching at IWU and Huntingdon,
May guided his teams to five NAIA national tournament berths and five Top-25 national rankings.
He is a graduate of Marion College, holding a bachelor's degree in social work, with supporting areas in psychology and sociology. He has earned two degrees from Indiana Wesleyan University, a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and social studies, and a master's degree in management.
His wife, Tammy, has served as an assistant tennis coach the past four seasons at Oneonta State. She is currently employed by the Special Education Department for the Oneonta School District.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Bill’s heart to integrate his faith as a coach is what brought him back to Christian Higher Education. He is a program builder, proving that at Huntington College, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Oneonta State College. Not only is Bill going to revive our women’s program, specifically adding quantity in addition to the quality of girls currently on the roster, but he has been commissioned to launch men’s tennis for the first time at Southeastern University.”—Duane Aagaard, Southeastern Athletics Director.
"He is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and he is a winner not only on the court but also as a wonderful Christian model for his student athletes. Southeastern is very fortunate to have someone dedicated to building a successful program as Bill will do in the near future. I am very proud of Bill and can hardly wait to see the results of his labor at Southeastern."—Terry Porter, Head Women’s Tennis Coach, Indiana Wesleyan University.
