MORAGA, Calif. – If asked to reflect on the entirety of his 20-year career as the head men's tennis coach at Saint Mary's Michael Wayman would likely find a way to deflect praise with the same sense of humor that has served him in good stead throughout his tenure as a Gael.

This week, Wayman announced his retirement from his post at Saint Mary's, bringing to an end a two-decade run as the Gaels' head coach. He wore many hats during his time at SMC, and in addition to coaching the men's team has also served as director of tennis, coach of the Saint Mary's women's team and facility supervisor for the Timothy Korth Tennis Complex.

It's been a real honor and privilege to be a part of Saint Mary's," Wayman said. "Over the years I've been there, I've seen a lot of changes for the better and improvement in all respects with regards to athletics. I feel the program on the men's side has established a really good foundation and reputation for an excellent program in the future. I think that was my overall goal in terms of what I was trying to achieve."

A three-time West Coast Conference coach of the year, Wayman leaves Saint Mary's after presiding over 20 years of growth as a program. He coached the Gaels to a second-place finish in 2008 for the program's best-ever result in the conference standings, coached multiple All-WCC honorees and led Saint Mary's to a national ranking in five different seasons.

But, while Wayman's resume certainly stands on its own, reducing the last 20 years of Saint Mary's men's tennis to a list of results and awards would almost miss entirely the significance of his tenure in Moraga. Words like competitiveness and sportsmanship, while often thrown around in college athletics, applied directly to teams that Wayman coached.

In the college coaching world, when you think of Michael Wayman you think classy, competitive, and hard working and his teams were a direct reflection of those core values," said Cal head coach Peter Wright. "As a friend and colleague you could count on him to be fair, thoughtful, and honest. For over 20 wonderful years I had the privilege of working with and competing against Michael and I will miss seeing him on the other side of the net."

UCLA head coach Billy Martin added: "It's been a privilege to coach against Michael Wayman for so many years. He and his Saint Mary's teams have always conducted themselves with the highest degree of integrity and competitiveness. Michael played at the highest level and that was something that he could always bring to his players. He will be missed by all of his fellow coaches, and I certainly feel the sport of men's tennis has benefited greatly with his involvement for the past 20 years."

Those who played for Wayman speak of his commitment to playing the game of tennis the right way. An All-American at USC in the mid-1970s, Wayman enjoyed a successful professional career that included appearances at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. That experience, along with a considerable coaching background prior to joining the Gaels in 1996, lent itself to well to teaching the game on the collegiate level.

"For 20 years, Michael has put his heart and soul into making sure that our tennis programs were not only competitive but that they played the game with class and sportsmanship," said Saint Mary's director of athletics Mark Orr, who will lead a national search for Wayman's replacement. "I am extremely thankful for his service to Saint Mary's and I wish him well in his next endeavors."

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