COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Kenny Doyle, an assistant coach at Winthrop University for the past three years and former head coach at Campbell University for 10 years, has been named as head coach of the Tennessee Tech men’s and women’s tennis teams.

Doyle, 52, begins his new position Thursday.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to coach at Tennessee Tech, and I’m excited about the possibility of competing for the championships in the Ohio Valley Conference,” Doyle said. “I’m looking forward to meeting the players and getting to work.

“I would like to thank Mark Wilson, Frank Harrell and the athletic administration for this opportunity,” he added.

Doyle enjoyed a high level of success in both his roles as a head coach and assistant coach, something that TTU Director of Athletics Mark Wilson expects to continue.

“We’re pleased to bring Kenny to Tennessee Tech and we look forward to him leading both our women’s and men’s teams to Ohio Valley Conference championships and unprecedented success, both on the tennis courts and academically.”

Throughout his coaching career, Doyle said he has crossed paths with Tennessee Tech teams, but his squads have never faced a Golden Eagle squad.

“I remember meeting Randy Smith at tournaments, and I know Tennessee Tech teams have been successful,” Doyle said. “There have been some very strong players at the university, and I look forward to continuing that tradition and building upon it.”

A 1980 Campbell graduate with a degree in business administration, Doyle worked for four years in private business before embarking on his coaching career in 1985. He was named head coach of the men’s team at his alma mater.

His men’s team at Campbell reeled off a string of 31 consecutive Big South Conference dual match victories between 1988 and 1994, winning four league titles.

In 1990, he was also given the reins of the women’s team and went 71-22 with two championships and three second-place finishes. Overall, he led Fighting Camel squads to six Big South Conference championships and was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1993.

He posted a combined 190-131 men’s and women’s record while at Campbell, and his 1993 women’s team was considered one of the nation’s top 40 programs. Under his direction, Campbell’s teams produced 44 all-conference players and eight times earned Player of the Year honors. One of his women’s team members was named All-America and four players earned national rankings.

“It’s all about recruiting and finding the best players that we can get to Tennessee Tech,” Doyle said. “It’s working with them to be motivated and excited about playing and competing, helping them to grow and develop as an athlete, as a person and as a student.”

In addition to their success on the court, Doyle’s teams also notched winning marks in the classroom with 35 student-athletes named to the conference honor roll and one named CoSIDA Academic All-America. Twice his teams ranked first among all of Campbell’s athletic squads for highest combined team grade-point average. One of his players won the Big South Award for Academic Excellence and finished first in the Campbell graduating class. Another of his players finished third in the graduating class a year later.

“I know that there is a high level of support for academics at Tennessee Tech, and that’s a huge advantage for the student-athletes that we will recruit,” Doyle said.

Doyle left Campbell after the 1995 season, and following 12 years in private business he returned to collegiate coaching in 2007 as assistant coach at Winthrop. He helped the Eagle teams enjoy a high level of success in the Big South Conference during the past three years. The women’s team won the regular season title all three years, and after a second place finish in 2007, the team won league tournament championships the past two years to advance to the NCAA tournament. The men’s squad won the 2007 regular season crown and has been conference tournament runner-up all three years.

During his undergraduate days, Doyle was a four-year letterman for Campbell and was named the team MVP in 1979.

Doyle is married to the former Cathy Oliver and has two grown sons, Nick and Christopher.