Ball State did not have to search long — nor far — for its next men’s tennis coach.
Ball State athletic director Jeff Mitchell announced the hire of Gene Orlando as the Cardinals’ next men’s tennis head coach on Monday, June 30. Orlando will take over for Bill Richards, who retired after 53 seasons leading the program. Richards’ retirement was announced on Wednesday, June 25, and made official on June 30.
“I am delighted to name Gene Orlando as our new men’s tennis head coach,” Mitchell said in a statement released by the university. “Coach Orlando’s extensive coaching experience, his love for Ball State and his proven ability to develop student-athletes give me great confidence that he will continue the culture of excellence within our program.”
Orlando graduated from Ball State in 1987 and lettered in tennis for four years from 1983-87. He helped the Cardinals win four consecutive Mid-American Conference championships and go 29-0 in MAC play during those seasons. Orlando also helped the Cardinals win another MAC crown as a graduate assistant in 1988.
Orlando went on to become the head coach at Bowling Green, a position he held for three seasons before taking over the Michigan State program. He spent 31 seasons in East Lansing and is the program’s all-time winningest head coach with 361 victories. He also led the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013.
Orlando retired from Michigan State in 2022 and returned to his alma mater as Richards’ assistant coach. Now, he will take the reins from the man with whom he spent four years as a player, one year as a graduate assistant and three more as an assistant coach.
“I am honored and thrilled to continue on Coach Richards’ legacy as the new men’s tennis coach,” Orlando said in the statement. “Returning to my alma mater and to lead our Cardinals’ tennis program fills me with immense passion and sincere gratitude. This opportunity unites all our alumni, our families and our fans in Coach Richards’ legacy. I offer sincere thanks to athletic director Jeff Mitchell and senior associate athletic director Emma Kumar for their support and commitment to our tennis program and Cardinal Athletics.”
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State alum with decades of coaching experience taking over men’s tennis program
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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