Bill May is Southeastern’s third women’s tennis coach in school history and the first-ever coach of the Fire’s men’s tennis program.
May saw both the men's and women's teams qualify for The Sun Conference Tournament in 2015, with the women's team earning the program's first postseason victory in the first round. For his efforts, May was named The Sun Conference Coach of the Year.
In 2016, both teams qualified for the conference tournament once again. The women's team opened the season with its highest NAIA Top 25 ranking in program history at 19th. The Fire men also cracked the Top 25 for the first time in program history after upsetting SCAD Savannah in the season opener.
Before taking a job at Southeastern, May spent seven seasons at Oneonta State University in Oneonta, New York. Similar to the task at hand with the Fire, he was responsible for coaching both the men’s and the women’s tennis programs.
In his final season in Oneonta, he helped guide the women’s program to a third-place finish in the SUNYAC championships, with three Red Dragons athletes earning SUNYAC All-Conference honors. The men’s team achieved an overall record of 8–7 against some of the top teams in the Northeast region. By mid-March, the men achieved a ranking of No. 19 in the Northeast, which marked the second time during May’s tenure that the men’s program earned a top 25 ranking in the region.
He left Oneonta State with a 132–70 record (men’s and women’s tennis combined).
Before joining the Red Dragons, he spent three seasons at Indiana Wesleyan University, where he posted a 60–10 record while coaching the men’s tennis program. His best season with the Wildcats came in 2003 when he led the program to a 19–3 mark and a second-place finish in the NCCAA National Championship Tournament. May twice led Indiana Wesleyan to the Mid-Central College Conference Championship and was twice named Conference Coach of the Year.
Prior to his stint with Indiana Wesleyan, he served as the sports information director and the men’s and women’s tennis coach at Huntington College for four seasons. While at Huntington, he was named Coach of the Year in 1998 for the men’s tennis program. In 2000, he led the men’s team to the MCC Tournament Championship, while earning Coach of the Year honors for both programs.
In 1999, May received the NAIA National Coach of the Year honors for community service, which was awarded by the United States Tennis Association.
May has coached nine NAIA/NCCAA All-Americans and 20 NAIA/NCCAA Scholar-Athlete All-Americans. He also served as the chair for both programs within the Mid-Central Conference and Region VIII of the NCAA. While coaching at IWU and Huntingdon, May guided his teams to five NAIA national tournament berths and five top 25 national rankings.
He is a graduate of Marion College, holding a bachelor’s degree in social work, with supporting areas in psychology and sociology. He has earned two degrees from Indiana Wesleyan University, a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and social studies, and a master’s degree in management.
His wife, Tammy, has served as an assistant tennis coach the past four seasons at Oneonta State. She is currently employed by the Special Education Department for the Oneonta School District.
