Oklahoma State University Athletics
James Wadley bio
February 27, 2009 | Cowboy Tennis
• Six most wins among active coaches
• Eight-time conference coach of the year
• Three-time Central Region Coach of the Year
• 12 conference championships
Oklahoma State men's tennis coach James Wadley is entering his 35th year at the helm of the program, a historic tenure. In his previous 34 years, Wadley has experienced only three losing seasons, an amazing feat.
His 35 years at Oklahoma State are easily the longest, active tenure at OSU. Men's track head coach Dick Weis is currently the closest coach to Wadley, as he is entering his 24th year of service at Oklahoma State.
During the time the Cowboy tennis program has had one head coach, Wadley has seen over 50 head coaches pass through Oklahoma State in other sports. He is one season short of tying the legendary Henry Iba's Oklahoma State record 36 seasons as a head coach. Coach Iba was the head basketball coach from 1934-1970.
Entering the 2006-07 season, Wadley is just seven wins shy of the 600 career victories mark. He sports a .687 career winning percentage and has a career record of 593-270. He is currently seventh on the active wins list among college tennis coaches.
Wadley's career at OSU has been about more than longevity, it has been about success. He has lead the Cowboys to 12 conference titles and has been named the conference coach-of-the-year eight times.
The ITA has also honored Wadley by naming him the regional coach of the year in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
Wadley seems to get better with age as the past five years have seen a renaissance of sorts for the Oklahoma State tennis program. He has also had a knack for getting the most out of his team in so called rebuilding years.
The Pokes entered the 2006 season coming off a successful year in which they were ranked as high as 13, had a runner-up finish in the always tough Big 12 and hosted a NCAA Regional. The Cowboys lost their top two players and many expected it to be a rebuilding year in Stillwater. However, Wadley and the Cowboys had other ideas and finished the season ranked 16 and hosted an NCAA Regional for the second-straight season. Also during the 2005-06 campaign the Cowboy's made regional history as Daniel Byrnes and Tomas Bohunicky faced off for the Central Region Championship. It was the first time in the region's history two teammates met in the finals.
Wadley's Cowboys were recognized for their performance in 2006 as several of the Pokes took home individual awards lead by Byrnes. Byrnes was an ITA All-American, Central Region Champion, unanimous All-Big 12 selection in singles, a doubles All-Big 12 selection and he was invited to the NCAA Individual Championships. Ivan Puchkarov made an impressive debut in his first season as he was a unanimous All-Big 12 selection, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Central Region Rookie of the Year in 2006.
In 2003, Wadley showed his knack for getting the most out of his players as the Pokes jumped from 73rd in the country to 19th, the biggest improvement in the country that season. The Cowboys also advanced to the Sweet 16 that year.
No stranger to the postseason, Wadley has lead the Cowboys to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and 12 conference titles. From 1983-87, he won five straight Big 8 crowns with a 31-0 conference mark. From 1978-1987, Wadley coached the Pokes to an impressive 65-2 conference record.
Wadley has also coached some outstanding individuals throughout his career, lead by Pavel Kudrnac. He coached 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. In 1998, he won the singles title at the National Indoor Championships and teamed with Martin Dvoracek to beat the No. 1-ranked doubles team in the world, Mike and Bob Bryan, to take the doubles titles.
Wadley also coached Fran Krepelka and Matt Prentice to the World National Title in 2001.
Under Wadley's guidance, the Cowboy tennis program has had over 100 individuals and doubles teams win conference titles.
Wadley came to OSU from Duncan High School in 1973 and immediately turned the program around. After his first season, in which the Cowboys had a 16-1 record, he guided the Cowboys to three straight 20-wins season. In 1977, he won a share of the conference title. It would be the first of 12 conference titles he would win.
Wadley played tennis at McAlester High School where he won one individual state championship and one team title. He went on to become a two-time All-American at Southeastern Oklahoma State. He was part of four conference championships and four consecutive appearances in the NAIA Tournament while at SEOSU.
At Southeastern Oklahoma State, Wadley was an outstanding doubles player. In 1968, he teamed with Jay Lysaught to reach the finals at the NAIA National Doubles Championships. He made another run in 1969, this time advancing with David Bryant to the semifinals of the national tournament. He also advanced to the quarterfinals in singles play.
Wadley and his wife, Paula, have three children: Stacy, Kristi and Brent. Brent played baseball for OSU under Tom Holliday. They also have four granchildern: Jake, Abby, Brock and Ben.
