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After 11 years with the Gators men’s tennis team, head coach Bryan Shelton announced Friday morning that he is stepping down to spend more time with family. Shelton had a winning record during his coaching career with the Gators, winning the program its first national championship in 2021.
2021 National Champion. 3x SEC Champion. 4x SEC Coach of the Year. 11 incredible seasons as a Gator!
Bryan Shelton will be stepping down as the head coach of Florida’s men’s tennis program. We couldn’t be more thankful for the tremendous impact you’ve had in the Orange & Blue! pic.twitter.com/n8Sv6vMSo4
— Gators Men's Tennis (@GatorsMTN) June 2, 2023
Coaching Success
Over his 11 years manning the team, Shelton won the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Moreover, he won the SEC Tournament Championship in 2016 and 2022. Additionally, Shelton led Florida to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and coached his players to earn 28 Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American honors and 31 All-SEC honors.
With UF, Shelton recorded a .718 winning percentage with a 211-83 overall record, the best in school history. Shelton was rewarded with the SEC Coach of the Year award four times, and earned Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year honors twice.
In SEC play, Shelton recorded a 95-29 record. He also became the fastest head coach in program history to reach 200 wins.
Before UF, Shelton was the head coach for the Georgia Tech women’s tennis team. From 2000-2012, Shelton won the Atlantic Coast Conference four times, including the 2007 National Championship for the Yellow Jackets.
Players and Family
Nine players are currently competing professionally who played under Shelton during their time with UF.
The most notable name is Ben Shelton, Bryan’s son. Ben advanced to this year’s Australian Open Quarterfinal and is currently competing in the French Open. Also, Ben won the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship after Sam Riffice won the singles title in 2021. It was the first time since 2005 the singles championship was won by different players from the same school in back-to-back years.
In an open letter, Bryan said him and his wife, Lisa, are “looking forward to spending more time with our family.”
From all of #GatorNation, thank you Coach 🧡💙#GoGators | @GatorsMTN pic.twitter.com/PdvTOOwpYj
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) June 2, 2023
What’s Next
No replacement has been announced and the school is currently looking for the 11th head coach in program history. The team had a 14-14 regular season record and fell in the first round to in the NCAA Tournament.
