WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Alma Mater of a Nation welcomes back one of its own with 2005 graduate and former standout Jeff Kader returning as the 17th head coach of the William & Mary men's tennis program. W&M director of athletics Terry Driscoll announced Kader's return to Williamsburg this afternoon.

“We are excited to have Jeff Kader return to the Tribe as the Head Men's Tennis Coach,” Driscoll said. “As an undergraduate, Jeff was an outstanding competitor and leader. He has quickly risen through the coaching ranks. In his first head coaching opportunity, he took the University of Texas-San Antonio Men's Tennis program to a Conference USA Championship and the NCAA tournament. Jeff's successful experiences as a player and head coach, his goals for the program and his familiarity and affection for W&M make him an ideal choice to lead our team.”

Kader will assume the reigns of the Tribe program after spending the last five seasons as the head coach of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). His tenure with the Roadrunners culminated with a Conference USA Championship and the league's coach of the year honor in 2015. He takes over for his former head coach at W&M, Peter Daub, who retired from the post in June after 22 years at the helm, including a Colonial Athletic Association Championship last season.

“I am incredibly excited to come back to Williamsburg and lead the program that I once represented as a student-athlete,” Kader said. “William & Mary will always be my home and to come back to the Tribe family is truly an honor. I would like to thank Terry Driscoll, Peel Hawthorne, Steve Cole, Renee Cork, and everyone involved in the hiring process for the opportunity to lead the Tribe. Lastly, I would like to thank Coach Daub for building a great program at William & Mary. He left the team in a great position, and I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence. My family and I are excited to represent the Green and Gold once again.”

During his five seasons in San Antonio, Kader led the Roadrunners to 63 dual-match victories, a pair of conference championships and just the third and fourth NCAA Tournament appearances in school history. He guided UTSA to its first national ITA ranking in 2012 and the program finished the 2015 season at No. 62 in the country, after being ranking as high as No. 58.

In 2015, Kader led the Roadrunners to the C-USA Championship in just the program's second season in the league and in the process established a school-record 17 wins. UTSA upended No. 58 Old Dominion and No. 54 Rice in the semifinals and championship to claim the league crown. Last season, Kader's group registered wins against five nationally-ranked opponents. The Roadrunners swept the C-USA major awards as Kader was named league's coach of the year, while senior Tomas Stillman was selected as the C-USA Player of the Year. For the second straight season, a UTSA player was named the C-USA Newcomer of the Year in 2015. UTSA also took home both the Most Outstanding Singles Player and Doubles Team at the C-USA Championship. Along with being the league player of the year, Stillman became the first UTSA player to compete in the NCAA Singles Championship and finished the 2015 campaign at No. 64 nationally after ranking as high as No. 42.

Kader won his first conference championship at UTSA in 2012 when the Roadrunners were a member of the Southland Conference and knocked off the top two seeds en route to winning the conference tournament. During the regular season, UTSA earned the first national ranking in school history at No. 72 on Feb. 22, 2012. Kader produced a league-high eight players who earned All-Southland honors, and a conference-best four all-academic team selections. Along with the success on the court, the Roadrunners posted a 3.1 team grade point average.

During his five-year tenure at UTSA, Kader coached Roadrunner players to 22 all-conference honors, including nine first-team selections, 14 academic all-conference certificates and a Southland Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011. In UTSA's first two years in C-USA, Kader had 10 players named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and his athletes earned five all-league honors. The Roadrunner men's tennis program was also involved in a number of volunteer events during Kader's time, including Habitat for Humanity, Rowdy Readers and For the Kids.

Kader's name adorns many areas of the Tribe record book as one of the top players in program history. He was a four-time All-CAA selection in singles, including first team honors in 2003, 2004 and 2005. During his time at W&M, the Tribe won 55 dual matches and finished each season in the national team rankings. The Tribe was ranked No. 53 in 2002, No. 51 in 2003, No. 44 in 2004 and No. 62 in 2005.

The Geneva, Ohio, native led W&M to a CAA Championship as a senior in 2005, upending a pair national top-35 opponents at No. 1 singles from Old Dominion and VCU in the league semifinals and championship, respectively. He was named the CAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer for his efforts, a first in program history. Kader finished both 2004 (60th) and 2005 (52nd) in the national top-60 in singles. As a result, he earned a spot in the NCAA Singles Championship during his final two seasons. Kader was also selected as the winner of the Blue-Gray Classic Sportsmanship Award in 2005.

In 2010, Kader was one of 25 players across all league schools and one of eight Tribe players named to the CAA Silver Anniversary Team for men's tennis. He still ranks among the top winners in program lore, coming in fourth on the Tribe's career singles wins list (85) and seventh on its doubles wins chart (84). Kader graduated from William & Mary with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. Following his career with the Tribe, he played professionally in France.

Kader earned his start in collegiate coaching at North Carolina State where he was an assistant coach for four seasons. He helped guide the Wolfpack to 60 wins and national ITA rankings during all four seasons, including a top-20 showing in 2007.

During Kader's tenure at Raleigh, the Wolfpack advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2007, finshing the year at 23-10 overall with 13 wins against nationally ranked opponents and a final national ranking of No. 19. Kader helped in the development of All-American Jay Weinacker, who ended 2009 ranked No. 33 nationally, while also helping coach the doubles team of William Noblitt and Nick Cavady to a national pairs ranking as high as No. 6 in 2008. He also trained James McGee, who earned a career-high ATP World Ranking of 146 in 2015.

Prior to his stint at N.C. State, Kader spent one year working for the legendary Stan Smith at the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy in Hilton Head Island, S.C. He served as a teaching professional and traveling coach with elite junior players.

Jeff and his wife, Morgan, have two sons, Harrison Alexander and Davis Henry.

The Kader File
Hometown: Geneva, Ohio
Alma mater: William & Mary, 2005

Tennis Career

2002-05	William & Mary as a student-athlete
2006-10	N.C. State Assistant Coach
2010-15	University of Texas at San Antonio Head Coach
2015-	William & Mary Head Coach

· Won two conference championship in five seasons at UTSA (Southland in 2012 and C-USA in 2015)

· Named the 2015 Conference USA Coach of the Year

· Led UTSA to its third and fourth NCAA Championships appearances in 2012 and 2015
· Guided the Roadrunners to their first-ever ITA national ranking during the 2012 campaign

· Coached the 2015 C-USA Player of the Year, two C-USA Newcomers of the Year in 2014  and 2015 and the 2011 Southland Student-Athlete of the Year
· His players earned 22 all-conference selections, including nine first-team honors
· Produced 14 conference all-academic honorees

· Posted 12 wins over nationally-ranked opponents including five in 2015