University of Memphis Athletics
Paul Goebel Retires from Coaching after 24 Years at Memphis
May 10, 2023 | Men's Tennis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After nearly two decades as the University of Memphis men's tennis head coach, Paul Goebel has decided it's time to hang up his racquet, officially announcing his retirement Wednesday.
Goebel has been a part of the Memphis program for the last 24 years, joining the Tigers as an assistant coach in 1999 before being promoted to head coach five years later in 2004.
Under his leadership the last 19 seasons, the Tigers made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, played in three conference championship matches and brought home the C-USA crown in 2012. His teams also earned the top seed in the American Athletic Conference tournament three times since joining the league in 2012-13. Only South Florida (3) has as many in that span.
"Congratulations to Coach Goebel on a well-deserved retirement," University of Memphis Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch said. "Coach Goebel led our men's tennis program with the upmost integrity for the past 19 seasons, impacting countless young men on and off the courts. His student-athletes not only excel athletically but are consistently some of our highest-performing academically.
"He is also a tremendous supporter of every other sport program and student-athlete at the University of Memphis, and he has made an impact on many fellow coaches and administrators as well. We thank Paul for his many contributions to Memphis Athletics and wish him, his wife, Shelly, and children all the best."
"Thank you Memphis for 24 fantastic years. The time has come to make a change in my life," Goebel said. "I want to say thank you to Tiger Nation for your continued support day in and day out. It has also been an honor to work with so many great people in our athletic department over the years. I have made lifelong friends and I appreciate the effort that so many have made in creating an atmosphere that makes Memphis Athletics a special place to work.
"Lastly, I want to thank all the student-athletes for their drive and dedication to this program. You have given me countless special memories and have helped build a respected program across the country. The achievements both on and off the tennis court have molded Memphis tennis into a top program in the nation. I will be staying in Memphis, and I look forward to watching our tennis program continue to grow and achieve great things."
A two-time conference Coach of the Year, Goebel racked up 242 career victories, which rank second all-time in program history. He won 10 or more matches in 15-of-19 seasons and his squads were nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 113-26 (.813) mark. In 13 of those years, the Tigers only lost one or fewer matches in the Bluff City.
The Tigers finished with a top-50 national team ranking eight times under Goebel and are expected to do so a ninth time when the final poll comes out at the end of the month. Memphis' highest ranking all-time to end a season is 20th in 2012-13 after finishing 16-8 overall and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with wins over BYU and Ole Miss.
"It is hard to imagine Memphis men's tennis without Paul, but I am so thankful for the 24 years that he has given to our program," Senior Associate Athletic Director and tennis administrator Andrew Roberts said. "Among his many accomplishments, his greatest achievement for me is the way he developed his players to be first-class human beings. Win or lose, they always made me proud to be a Memphis Tiger.
"Paul will be greatly missed, but I wish him the very best in his next phase of life."
Goebel's tutelage garnered his student-athletes success both on and off the court.
His players have 42 all-conference nods, three conference Freshman of the Year honors, one Newcomer of the Year award and a C-USA Player of the Year in 2013 from Connor Glennon.
In 2018, he helped guide Ryan Penniston to the Round of 16 in the NCAA singles championship and then coached Penniston and Andrew Watson to the national semifinals in doubles. Both are the furthest any Tiger has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
Goebel has also had 13 players ranked at the end of the season by ITA in singles and 11 in doubles.
Success off the court includes 53 ITA Scholar-Athletes, two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and one C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2010 (Michael Gaerthoeffner). Twelve of Goebel's squads have also been named ITA All-Academic Teams.
In the fall of 2022, his Tigers posted a 3.76 team GPA which not only was this highest mark of any male team in the department, it set the program record for highest semester GPA.
Goebel has coached eight players who have gone on to professional careers, most notably Joe Salisbury (2010-14), a former world No. 1 in doubles and five-time Grand Slam champion. In 2022, Salisbury became the third British world No. 1 in either singles or doubles. He has won 12 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, played for Great Britain in the Davis Cup, and competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Andy Murray.
Another former Tiger, David O'Hare, reached his highest world doubles ranking of 117 and is now the coach of Salisbury and partner Rajeev Ram.
A native of Hendersonville, North Carolina, Goebel came to Memphis after a stellar career at Middle Tennessee, where he was part of the school's first All-America doubles team, which earned him a place in the MTSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Goebel became the second men's tennis player to be inducted into the Middle Tennessee Hall of Fame. A member of the MTSU team from 1990-1994, Goebel served as the team's captain from 1992-1994 and was a four-time, all-conference player. He was also named the student-athlete of the year in 1994.
Following his collegiate playing career, Goebel served as a student assistant coach in 1995 at Middle Tennessee, while also playing professionally. He graduated from MTSU in 1995.
Goebel moved to Memphis and became a tennis professional at The Racquet Club of Memphis beginning in 1996. At The Racquet Club, Goebel taught top national and southern-ranked juniors and has coached in a variety of area training centers, zonals and national team events. In 1999, Goebel was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the "Men's 25 and Over" age group.
He and his wife, Shelly, have four children.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Tennis, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Goebel has been a part of the Memphis program for the last 24 years, joining the Tigers as an assistant coach in 1999 before being promoted to head coach five years later in 2004.
Under his leadership the last 19 seasons, the Tigers made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, played in three conference championship matches and brought home the C-USA crown in 2012. His teams also earned the top seed in the American Athletic Conference tournament three times since joining the league in 2012-13. Only South Florida (3) has as many in that span.
"Congratulations to Coach Goebel on a well-deserved retirement," University of Memphis Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Laird Veatch said. "Coach Goebel led our men's tennis program with the upmost integrity for the past 19 seasons, impacting countless young men on and off the courts. His student-athletes not only excel athletically but are consistently some of our highest-performing academically.
"He is also a tremendous supporter of every other sport program and student-athlete at the University of Memphis, and he has made an impact on many fellow coaches and administrators as well. We thank Paul for his many contributions to Memphis Athletics and wish him, his wife, Shelly, and children all the best."
"Thank you Memphis for 24 fantastic years. The time has come to make a change in my life," Goebel said. "I want to say thank you to Tiger Nation for your continued support day in and day out. It has also been an honor to work with so many great people in our athletic department over the years. I have made lifelong friends and I appreciate the effort that so many have made in creating an atmosphere that makes Memphis Athletics a special place to work.
"Lastly, I want to thank all the student-athletes for their drive and dedication to this program. You have given me countless special memories and have helped build a respected program across the country. The achievements both on and off the tennis court have molded Memphis tennis into a top program in the nation. I will be staying in Memphis, and I look forward to watching our tennis program continue to grow and achieve great things."
A two-time conference Coach of the Year, Goebel racked up 242 career victories, which rank second all-time in program history. He won 10 or more matches in 15-of-19 seasons and his squads were nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 113-26 (.813) mark. In 13 of those years, the Tigers only lost one or fewer matches in the Bluff City.
The Tigers finished with a top-50 national team ranking eight times under Goebel and are expected to do so a ninth time when the final poll comes out at the end of the month. Memphis' highest ranking all-time to end a season is 20th in 2012-13 after finishing 16-8 overall and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with wins over BYU and Ole Miss.
"It is hard to imagine Memphis men's tennis without Paul, but I am so thankful for the 24 years that he has given to our program," Senior Associate Athletic Director and tennis administrator Andrew Roberts said. "Among his many accomplishments, his greatest achievement for me is the way he developed his players to be first-class human beings. Win or lose, they always made me proud to be a Memphis Tiger.
"Paul will be greatly missed, but I wish him the very best in his next phase of life."
Goebel's tutelage garnered his student-athletes success both on and off the court.
His players have 42 all-conference nods, three conference Freshman of the Year honors, one Newcomer of the Year award and a C-USA Player of the Year in 2013 from Connor Glennon.
In 2018, he helped guide Ryan Penniston to the Round of 16 in the NCAA singles championship and then coached Penniston and Andrew Watson to the national semifinals in doubles. Both are the furthest any Tiger has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
Goebel has also had 13 players ranked at the end of the season by ITA in singles and 11 in doubles.
Success off the court includes 53 ITA Scholar-Athletes, two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and one C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2010 (Michael Gaerthoeffner). Twelve of Goebel's squads have also been named ITA All-Academic Teams.
In the fall of 2022, his Tigers posted a 3.76 team GPA which not only was this highest mark of any male team in the department, it set the program record for highest semester GPA.
Goebel has coached eight players who have gone on to professional careers, most notably Joe Salisbury (2010-14), a former world No. 1 in doubles and five-time Grand Slam champion. In 2022, Salisbury became the third British world No. 1 in either singles or doubles. He has won 12 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, played for Great Britain in the Davis Cup, and competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Andy Murray.
Another former Tiger, David O'Hare, reached his highest world doubles ranking of 117 and is now the coach of Salisbury and partner Rajeev Ram.
A native of Hendersonville, North Carolina, Goebel came to Memphis after a stellar career at Middle Tennessee, where he was part of the school's first All-America doubles team, which earned him a place in the MTSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. Goebel became the second men's tennis player to be inducted into the Middle Tennessee Hall of Fame. A member of the MTSU team from 1990-1994, Goebel served as the team's captain from 1992-1994 and was a four-time, all-conference player. He was also named the student-athlete of the year in 1994.
Following his collegiate playing career, Goebel served as a student assistant coach in 1995 at Middle Tennessee, while also playing professionally. He graduated from MTSU in 1995.
Goebel moved to Memphis and became a tennis professional at The Racquet Club of Memphis beginning in 1996. At The Racquet Club, Goebel taught top national and southern-ranked juniors and has coached in a variety of area training centers, zonals and national team events. In 1999, Goebel was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the "Men's 25 and Over" age group.
He and his wife, Shelly, have four children.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Tennis, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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