Thirty-four-year coaching veteran Charlie Ellis joined the men's tennis staff in November 2017.
Ellis spent the previous four years as the first head coach of the inaugural Houghton College men's and women's tennis programs. In 2017, his men's team reached the semifinals of the Empire 8 championship. In 2016 he was named the New England College Coach of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). His coaching background also included stints as head women's coach at Wesleyan College and as a men's assistant at his alma mater, University of Georgia.
His achievements as a college player were substantial, including a run to the 1977 NCAA singles quarterfinals. Ellis also won an SEC doubles title, was the SEC Player of the Year and led the Bulldogs to an SEC team crown. He played his final two collegiate years for Georgia at No. 1 singles and doubles and earned a national ranking as high as No. 8 in the country. After turning professional, Ellis was the top-ranked player in the state of Georgia (No. 7 in South) and held a World ATP Ranking of No. 298.
As a junior player, Elis won 16 Indiana state championships, including a state high school title. He is a member of the Indiana Tennis Hall of Fame.
Ellis has managed tennis clubs in Lexington, Kent., Newman-Augusta, Ga., Cincinnati, Ohio and closer to campus, Schenectady, N.Y. He has taught thousands of players of all ages and is well respected in the tennis community.
He holds a bachelor's degree in education from Georgia.
