Coming Full Circle

            Ole Miss head men’s tennis coach Billy Chadwick came full circle this summer, when he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame at the Mississippi Sports 44th Annual BancorpSouth Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.

            A native Mississippian who grew up in Jackson, Chadwick started his Ole Miss career as the Lady Rebels’ coach in 1979 and began coaching the Rebels in 1983.  He helped lead the Rebels from last in the SEC to their current spot at the top of the rankings year in and year out.

            Chadwick’s accomplishments include four NCAA Final Four appearances, 14 NCAA Tournament berths and four Southeastern Conference titles.   In addition he has coached an NCAA Doubles championship team, three SEC Players of the Year and 19 All-Americans.

            Off the court, his teams have been just as successful with three ITA All-Academic Teams and 17 Academic All-Americans.

            Chadwick is well aware of the significance of his nomination and selection for the Hall of Fame. He is just the eighth tennis inductee, following the likes of Mack Cameron, Slew Hester, Lester Sack and Dorothy Vest (taught Chadwick the game of tennis).

            “Mississippi has perhaps the richest tradition of sports in the country, and the heart of this tradition is the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame,” Chadwick said after learning that he was to be one of the 2006 inductees. “It is a phenomenal group of people who are in this Hall of Fame. To join them makes me one of the more fortunate people on the planet.”

            Chadwick had a successful playing career alongside his twin brother Barney. A Wingfield High graduate, Chadwick was the Mississippi High School singles champion in 1970. He played collegiately at Belhaven College from 1970-74 under coach Charlie Rugg, leading the school to a No. 6 national ranking in 1974.

            Chadwick moved to Oxford a few years later after marrying his wife Julie, to begin work on his MBA. He started out as a tennis graduate assistant, but was named the women’s coach by former athletic director Warner Alford in 1979.

            Some 500 plus wins later Chadwick is the longest tenured coach in the history of the University of Mississippi and one of the most successful coaches ever at Ole Miss in any sport. 

            “I’m extremely proud to have been able to be at one school for this long,” Chadwick said.  “It’s hard to fathom that I am the longest tenured coach at Ole Miss. I’ve been fortunate to have success, and it’s a great feeling to have taken a program from last in the SEC to where we are now. This honor is a credit to all the great players we’ve had here.

            “This honor also belongs to the fans that have helped put us on the national level. We have developed a huge following over the last 10 to 15 years, and it’s exciting to be a part of something that’s getting bigger each year.”

            With five of the top six players returning from the 2006 SEC Western Division Champion team, the list of achievements under Chadwick’s watch will grow even more in 2007 and beyond.

            From Jackson, to Oxford, and back. Indeed, Chadwick has come full circle.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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