Tim Cleland

Tim Cleland is the all-time winningest coach in Indiana High School Tennis history with 1,067 victories in boys’ and girls’ tennis. He has spent his entire career as head coach at Delta HS in Muncie, Ind. In 56 seasons (31 boys, 25 girls) he has a career record of 1,067-181, an 86% winning ratio. With an enrollment of 825 students, Delta has reached the IHSAA Tennis Team State Finals on nine occasions. In Indiana’s system, where more than 300 schools all compete in the same single-class tournament, Coach Cleland’s players have reached the state championship match a combined total of six times in boys’ doubles, girls’ doubles, and girls’ singles. He was inducted into the Indiana High School Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008 and has been a finalist twice for National High School Tennis Coach of the Year. A native of Columbus, Ind., he spent 13 years as a sports journalist before becoming a teacher in 1997. He teaches communications courses at Delta High School and also has been a teaching pro at the Muncie Family YMCA since 1989. He has served as president of the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association since 1999. He is the co-founder of the SmashCancer high school tennis event, which has used the Delta-Yorktown sports rivalry to raise more than $40,000 for local cancer organizations at the grassroots level.