Russell McMindes, a former Tiger standout, is in his fourth season as Trinity’s head men’s tennis coach.

Coach McMindes, who became head coach in 2009, has guided the Tigers to three straight appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and to the quarterfinals for two of those trips. Trinity has also won three straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships, and Coach McMindes was elected SCAC Coach of the Year each time.

During the 2011-12 season, Coach McMindes also coached the Tiger women’s team, which captured its first SCAC Championship since 2006. Trinity qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years, and advanced to the second round.

Individual men’s and women’s players have flourished under the leadership of Coach McMindes.

He coached a Trinity men’s doubles team, Bobby Cocanougher and Cory Kowal, to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III National Small College Championship in 2010. Cocanougher and Kowal also advanced to the 2010 NCAA Championship Doubles final. Max Frey was an NCAA Singles semifinalist the same year.

Mackenzie Knoop fought her way to the NCAA Women’s Singles semifinals in 2012. She was Trinity’s first women’s semifinalist since Lizzie Yasser reached the title match in 2002.

Six Tiger players, four men and two women, have earned All-America honors during Coach McMindes’ tenure as head coach.  Coach McMindes’ brother, Jacob, was the men’s assistant for three years, and the women’s for one season. He was appointed head women’s coach in 2012.

Coach McMindes spent seven seasons as the Tiger men's assistant coach. In 2009, Coach McMindes was named the ITA West Region Men's Tennis Assistant of the Year.

He was a three-year letter winner for the Tigers and was a member of Trinity's 2000 NCAA Division III national championship team. Coach McMindes earned All-SCAC honors for three years. Prior to joining the Trinity program, he played for one season for Oklahoma Christian University, and became a Tiger his sophomore year.

Coach McMindes earned a Bachelor of Science from Trinity in engineering science in 2002, with a concentration in chemical engineering.  A resident of San Antonio, he was the Clemens High School valedictorian in 1997.

A talented instructor of tennis, Coach McMindes was a teaching professional at the San Antonio Country Club, as a United States Professional Tennis Association Certified Pro.

Coach McMindes and his wife, Cat, are parents of a daughter, Mia.