Ty Tucker
Position: Head Coach Experience: 8th season College: Ohio State, 1991

With seven years under his belt at the helm of the Buckeye program, Ty Tucker, the 2006 Big Ten and ITA Midwest Coach of the Year has proven to the nation his squad is capable of competing against and defeating some of the country's top opponents. In 2006, the Buckeyes compiled a season record of 28-2. They went 13-0 in the Big Ten and finished the year ranked No. 5 in the nation. This marked the sixth-consecutive year the Buckeyes finished in the Top 25.

At the 2006 Big Ten Championship, OSU defeated Illinois in the title match to close league tournament play with a Big Ten Tournament Championship to go along with its outright regular season title. The Buckeyes received their seventh-consecutive bid to the NCAA team championship and hosted the first two rounds for the first time in program history.

The Buckeyes matched their best ever showing in the NCAA Tournament by advancing to the quarterfinal round where they lost a herartbreaking match to No. 3 Texas.

Ohio State beat Butler, Arkansas and North Carolina in the first three rounds all by a 4-0 score.

Ohio State extended its home win streak to 40 matches by winning its 12 home competitions last season. The 2006 season marked the third-consecutive year in which the Buckeyes won all their home matches. The home win streak dates back to the 2003 season starting with a 5-2 victory over Purdue April 6.

In 2006, seniors Scott Green and Ross Wilson cemented their place among the all time greats with their third national championship title. Green and Wilson ended their careers as one of only three doubles teams to win three national titles after winning the ITA Indoor All-American National Championships in the fall of 2005. The pair already had won the ITA All-American Championships and the ITA Indoor All-American National Championships in 2004. With the wins, Green and Wilson became the first doubles team in OSU history to win a national tournament, and were the first doubles team to win the Indoor tournament in consecutive years.

The 2004 season saw the Buckeyes advance to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Baylor who was the eventual champion. In the final ITA team rankings, the Buckeyes finished No. 12 in the country.

Tucker now holds a 128-41 overall record and is 59-16 vs. Big Ten competition. Tucker, the 2004 Midwest Region IV Coach of the Year, captured his 100th career win after a 5-2 win over Northwestern April 16, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio.

In 2004, Tucker coached Buckeye standout Jeremy Wurtzman the co-ITA/Farnsworth National Senior Player of the Year and freshman Joey Atas the Midwest Region IV Rookie of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Wurtzman, a three-time All-Big Ten selection, was named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America Team, the first All-American in Ohio State history since Tucker in 1991. Wurtzman, a three-time NCAA singles participant, fell in the third round at the 2004 NCAA Singles Championship and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation. Atas and Wurtzman advanced to the second round at the 2004 NCAA Doubles Championship and closed the year ranked No. 29 in the country.

In 2003, the squad finished with a 22-7 overall record and was 10-2 in the Big Ten. The team went 13-1 at home, with their only conference loss to Illinois, and was 6-4 on the road in regular-season play. The Buckeyes finished No. 17 in the national team rankings and added to its season as the squad made its fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament with a Round of 16 appearance vs. No. 4 California.

It was only five seasons ago the Buckeyes were in the midst of a win less conference schedule. Two years later, Tucker guided OSU from the bottom to nearly the pinnacle of the Big Ten. In 2001, Tucker led his team to the Big Ten tournament championship.

Tucker's style of coaching fosters positive attitudes by providing an environment conducive to improvement. Tucker asks his players to perform on-court drills with focus and 100 percent effort. Intense practices are combined with tough work-out sessions both in the weight room and on the track. Unrelenting practices with tournament play was Tucker's methodology of getting to a competitive level.

Ohio State wrapped up its 2002-03 season with two national singles qualifiers invited to the NCAA singles championship; career singles record holder Vince Ng and Wurtzman. This marked the second appearance of two OSU players in the same NCAA championship since 1976; the last coming in the 2002 season when Phil Metz and Wurtzman represented Ohio State.

Both Ng and Wurtzman fell in the first round. However, the appearance paved the way for a No. 32 national ranking for Ng and Wurtzman's No. 35 national ranking.

Before taking over the head coaching job, Tucker served as OSU's assistant coach for two years. He was responsible for recruiting in the United States and on-court development. Tucker was the main force behind the recruitment of both Metz and Ng.

Tucker is accustomed to success in tennis. He left Ohio State in 1992 after his junior year to become a professional tennis player. He achieved a world ranking of No. 273 and in 1994 he was ranked as high as No. 35 in the United States. He earned significant wins over Tim Henman, Hendrik Dreekman and Sargis Sargisian, and defeated Jimmy Arias to win the Novi Auto Mall Professional Tennis Challenge in Michigan. Tucker also played in more than 40 foreign tournaments between 1992 and 1995. In 2004, Tucker was inducted to the Varsity "O" Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in tennis.

"I love to play tennis," Tucker said. "The only reason I stopped playing professionally was the traveling. It wasn't a lifestyle that I wanted to continue. However, I did want to stay in tennis. College tennis is the only level of tennis where coaching is allowed during the match, so it was the ideal job for me. The timing just worked out that (former head coach John) Daly had a position open. After playing three great years under Coach Daly, it was a great opportunity to be able to return. The only place I want to be is at Ohio State. It is the best."

Tucker, a native of Zanesville, Ohio, earned three letters from 1989 to 1991 during his playing days at Ohio State. He captured the No. 1 singles position his freshman year and held it for three seasons. He secured his place in the Ohio State history book with his dominating play, finishing with 64 career singles wins, which is 22nd on the OSU career singles wins chart. His 28 singles victories in 1990 rates 20th on the all-time OSU single-season wins ladder. Tucker is a two-time All-American, one of two in the history of the Ohio State program.

Tucker's success in tennis began at an early age. As a player on the junior circuit, he established himself by accumulating nine United States Tennis Association National Junior titles, and was a tournament finalist 11 times. Tucker notched victories over Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Jim Courier.

When not on the courts, Tucker enjoys cooking, spending time and playing tennis with his 9-year-old daughter, Lakyn.

Born May 7, 1970, Tucker is a 1998 graduate of Ohio State with a degree in anthropology.

Coaching Quick Facts
Full Name Ty Gerald Tucker
Born May 7, 1970
Hometown Zanesville, Ohio
High School Zanesville High School and Palmer Academy (Tampa, Fla.)
Alma Mater The Ohio State University
Playing Career Was a two-time All-American, one of two in the history of the OSU program ... garnered All-Big Ten selections in 1989, '90 and '91 ... advanced to the Final 16 of the 1990 and 1991 NCAA championships ... went undefeated in Big Ten regular-season play in 1991 ... integral role in OSU's 1991 Big Ten Championship at No. 1 singles ... amassed a career singles record of 64-22 ... selected as the Ohio State Player of the Century and a member of the All-Century team in 2002.
Coaching Career Head coach, The Ohio State University, 1999-present
Highlights Member of the United States team in the 1994 McDonald's International Challenge in Australia where he won the Doubles Championship with Andre Agassi ... earned Tennis Player of the Year laurels in 1982-83 when he was just 13 years old ... ... was the youngest invitee to the Olympic Tryout Camp in 1984 ... invited to the National Junior Davis Cup Tryouts in 1986 and 1987.
Other Enjoys time with his daughter, Lakyn, and building on his knowledge of the sport of tennis.

Tucker`s Career Record

Noting the Tucker Era
Ohio State ...