UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's tennis head coach Jeff Zinn has announced his retirement following the 2024 spring season. Zinn has guided the Penn State men's tennis program for 13 years, leading the Nittany Lions to 175 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 35 years as a collegiate head coach, Zinn has tallied 556 wins and led his teams to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances.
"Life is all about stories," said Zinn. "There have been so many great stories of my time here at Penn State with so many terrific players and fellow coaches. Paul Tobin has been by my side for the last 11 years and we would not have had the success without him. I've been very lucky to have so many great athletic directors throughout my career, people that helped along the way and gave me a start in college athletics, Mike Hamrick at Little Rock, Ron Wellman at Wake Forest, Tim Curley, Sandy Barbour and Dr. Pat Kraft at Penn State."
"I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to finish my coaching career at Penn State. I came here to make an impact and, in a small way, we have made a contribution to the success of the men's tennis program. Athletic directors like Tim Curley, Sandy Barbour and Dr. Pat Kraft have supported the men's tennis program throughout this process."
"For me, you never know when the right time is to step away. I feel this is the right time. The program is in good shape and we have a good leader in Dr. Pat Kraft that sees the vision of the team moving forward, especially with the expansion of the Big Ten. I will always bleed blue and white and that's how much of an impression Penn State has made on me."
Zinn has guided Penn State to 175 wins over 13 seasons, serving as head coach from 2012-24. Penn State had a winning record in seven seasons under Zinn, including 22 wins in 2014, 21 wins in 2016 and 20 wins in 2019. PSU won 35 matches against ranked opponents and went 110-40 in home matches.
"Jeff has been a big part of our department for the last 13 years, and we wish him well in retirement," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft. "We appreciate all he has done for the program during his tenure and the positive impacts he has had on his student-athletes."
Under Zinn, the Nittany Lions made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014, 2016 and 2019, reaching the Round of 32 each year. He also led Penn State to an ITA National Indoor Team Championships Round of 16 in 2015. Zinn helped PSU to its highest ever ITA ranking (No. 16) in 2015. He was awarded ITA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors following the 2019 season.
Zinn coached 10 All-Big Ten selections. He also guided NCAA Singles Championship qualifiers Leo Stakhovsky (2014) and Constant De La Bassetiere (2019) and NCAA Doubles Championship qualifying duos Russell Bader/Jason Lee (2012) and Bader/Stakhovsky (2014). He mentored 88 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 22 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.
Prior to his time at Penn State, Zinn coached 15 seasons at Wake Forest, collecting 231 wins, a .595 winning percentage, and led the Demon Deacons to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Round of 16 appearances. He coached 23 All-ACC selections and the 2008 NCAA Doubles national champions. He also coached six seasons at Arkansas-Little Rock, earning two Sun Belt Coach of the Year awards while leading the Trojans to two NCAA Tournament appearances, and one season at Northern Kentucky, helping the Norse to a conference title.
