University of Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi announced today (Monday, April 10) that men’s tennis coach David Geatz will resign his position at the conclusion of the Golden Gophers’ 2005-06 season. Geatz is currently in his 18th season as Minnesota’s head coach.
“I want to thank the University of Minnesota for 18 of the best years I have ever had,” Geatz said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching the Golden Gophers and have had the pleasure to work with great student-athletes and staff during my time at the University. As I move on, I look forward to watching the Gophers continue to excel on and off the court. I wish the Minnesota men’s tennis program nothing but the best.”
“David has been a great asset to the University of Minnesota Athletics Department for the past 18 years,” Maturi said. “The Golden Gopher Men’s Tennis program has experienced tremendous success under Coach Geatz, and for that we are grateful. He will always be a member of the Golden Gopher family and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Minnesota’s all-time winningest coach with a 307-153 (.667) record, Geatz has led the Golden Gophers to five Big Ten Championships and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances during his career. In 22-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach, he owns a 427-218 (.662) record. His teams have put together 20-win seasons on 12 occasions. A native of Grand Forks, N.D., Geatz has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times (1991, ’92, ’94) and was named Region IV Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2000. Under Geatz’s direction, the University of New Mexico’s tennis program went 121-65 from 1982-87.
This season, Geatz has coached Minnesota to an 11-9 overall record and a 5-1 mark in Big Ten play. He coached the Maroon and Gold for the majority of the non-conference season in 2005, before going on a leave of absence for the remainder of the season. In 2004, Geatz led the Golden Gophers to their 11th straight NCAA Tournament and a third- place finish at the Big Ten Championships. In 2003, Geatz led the Golden Gophers to a 21-6 record, marking the eighth time he has reached the 20-win plateau at Minnesota. In addition, the six losses were the fewest by a Minnesota team since the 1994-95 squad posted a 23-6 mark. Geatz also led the Golden Gophers to a final ITA national ranking of No. 10 for Minnesota’s highest season-ending rating in the history of the program.
Geatz has coached three Big Ten Players of the Year (Rick Naumoff, 1993; Ross Loel, 1995; Harsh Mankad, 2002), three Big Ten Freshmen of the Year (Lars Hjarrand, 1994; Thomas Haug, 1999; Mankad, 2000) and 29 All-Big Ten players.
Geatz was one of the finest players in North Dakota state tennis history. A three-time North Dakota High School state singles champion, he finished his prep career undefeated in 103 matches. Honored as the North Dakota Athlete of the Year as a junior, he also claimed three state open singles titles.
As a freshman at New Mexico State, Geatz was conference runnerup in doubles and the league singles champion the following year. After transferring to New Mexico, he qualified for the NCAA Championships in singles. Geatz also claimed the WAC title in doubles his junior year. Following college, he played in Europe as a pro, winning eight tournaments. Geatz received his master’s degree in sports administration in 1985 and his Ph.D. in 1991 from New Mexico.
A search for Geatz’s replacement will begin immediately.
