James Wadley, the longest tenured head coach in Oklahoma State history, enters the 2012 season as his 40th at the helm of the men's tennis program.
In his 39 seasons in Stillwater, Wadley has made 17 NCAA appearances and won 12 conference titles. Individually, he has been equally successful with 108 Cowboys earning all-conference honors and nine garnering All-America status.
Wadley has been named the regional coach of the year on 11 occasions and has been honored as the conference coach of the year 13 times. OSU has also had at least two individual conference champions in 28 of his 37 seasons.
Duke Dubois was able to lure Wadley away from a more lucrative position at Duncan High School and gave OSU a bargain to the tune of a $4,500-a-year head coach that would evolve into one of the nation's winningest coaches.
Wadley arrived in Stillwater in 1972 and quickly molded a new structure to the Cowboy tennis program on and off the court. Among his early contributions to the program was the creation of a study hall program, as well as a fall season.
After opening his career with a 16-14 mark in 1972, the Cowboys reeled off three consecutive 20-win seasons. In addition, the Cowboys earned three-straight Big Eight runner-up finishes, serving as proof a solid foundation had taken hold and the program was turning the corner.
What followed has been termed the "Decade of Dominance" as Wadley elevated the Cowboys into a Big Eight power. Thirteen times, he was named the league's coach of the year while guiding OSU to 12 conference titles.
The 1977 campaign proved to be the breakthrough season for the program as the Cowboys won 18 matches and captured the first of five consecutive conference crowns. In addition, OSU gained the first of its 17 NCAA Championship berths under Wadley.
From 1978-1987, Wadley's squad rose to another level, posting a 65-2 mark against league foes, including a 31-0 mark over the final five years of that stretch.
A 25-5 mark during the 1978 season set a new school standard with a winning percentage of .833. The Cowboys also won their first outright conference title under Wadley. OSU's 25 victories started a string of 10 consecutive 20-win campaigns.
Two years later, Wadley's squad set a new high-water mark with 27 wins and produced an astounding seven conference champions.
After a Big Eight runner-up finish in 1982, the Cowboys began a new string of conference titles the following year as OSU won 27 times en route to the first of four-straight league crowns.
Wadley's troops closed out their run of conference titles with titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991. The Cowboys capped each of those seasons with NCAA berths as well.
After joining the Big 12 Conference in 1996, the Wadley led the Cowboys to their first NCAA appearance the following season after posting an 18-7 mark.
The Cowboys earned a return trip to the postseason the following year after a 17-win campaign.
Wadley coached Pavel Kudrnac to three national titles in 1997-98. Kudrnac won the ITA National Clay Court Championship in 1997 and was named the Farnsworth/ITA Senior Player of the Year that season. He won the Indoor Singles Championship in 1998 and a doubles title with Martin Dvoracek in 1998. Wadley also coached Fran Krepelka and Matt Prentice to the World Team Tennis National Title in 2001.
After guiding OSU to an NCAA berth in 2001, Wadley was chosen as the ITA Central Region Coach of the Year. Wadley has since won the award in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Since 2003, Wadley's squads once again became a mainstay in the postseason, as they made NCAA appearances on seven consecutive occasions.
That string began with an 18-5 mark and a Big 12 runner-up finish in 2003. His squad also jumped from 73rd to 19th in the rankings, the biggest improvement in the country.
Two years later, OSU reached the 20-win plateau for the 14th time under Wadley's tutelage, amassing a 22-7 mark on its way to a runner-up finish in the conference. That year, the Cowboys also achieved their highest ranking to date, coming in as high as No. 13 nationally.
During the 2006-07 season, the Cowboys cracked the top 10 for the first time ever and climbed as high as No. 8 in the polls.
The 2008-09 season saw one of Wadley's pupils produce the most decorated season by a Cowboy in school history. Oleksandr Nedovyesov was named the 2009 Campbell/ITA National Player of the year after finishing the season as the top-ranked player in the country.
Wadley came to OSU from Duncan High School in 1973 and made an immediate impact. After going 16-14 in his first season, he guided the Cowboys to three straight 20-win seasons before earning a share of his first conference title in 1977. It was the first of five straight Big 8 titles.
Wadley began his playing career in McAlester, Okla., where he was a two-time state champion. He went on to play collegiately at Southeastern Oklahoma State where he was a two-time All-American at the NAIA level. He helped lead his team to four-straight conference titles and four consecutive appearances in the NAIA Tournament.
Wadley and his wife, Paula, have three children: Stacy, Kristi and Brent. Brent played baseball for OSU one year under Tom Holliday.
