A native of nearby Middlesboro, Ky., Benny Collins was named as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Lincoln Memorial University in 2008.
Collins took over programs — ones that had been in a decline after being conference and national contenders in the 1990s and early 2000s — and not only rebuilt them but took them to a whole new level. To date, he has a 87-35 record with the men and a 76-42 record with the women, where both teams are perennially among the top teams in the South Atlantic Conference standings.
His first season in 2008-09 was a rebuilding year for both teams as they finished with identical 2-6 SAC records. The men were 8-12 overall while the women were 7-13.
The 2009-10 season saw one of the biggest turnarounds in the country as both teams captured the South Atlantic Conference regular-season and tournament crowns. The men were 19-2 overall and 8-0 in the SAC while the women were 18-4 overall with a nearly spotless 7-1 mark in the SAC. Collins was named SAC Coach of the Year for both the men and women, becoming only the second coach in SAC history to do so in both sports in the same season.
The 2010-11 season saw the teams have solid seasons despite injuries, with the women going 13-5 (6-3 SAC) and finishing in the Food Lion SAC Tournament quarterfinals and the men going 13-6 (7-2 SAC) and making it to the semifinals of the Food Lion SAC Tournament.
The 2011-12 season saw the teams undergo many line-up shifts early-on due to injuries, but once everyone became healthy both teams made their presence felt in the SAC. The women went 14-6 (5-4 SAC) before falling the in the tournament quarterfinals, while the men went 18-4 (7-2) before falling to Wingate in the tournament championship match.
The 2012-13 men's team went 14-6 overall and 7-2 in the SAC and reached the SAC Tournament championship, falling 5-4 to Wingate.
On the women's side, the 2015-16 women's team had a big turnaround, going from a 5-9 overall and 3-8 SAC record the year to finish the year 13-8 overall and 7-4 in the SAC.
The men posted another strong season in 2016-17, compiling a 17-4 overall record with a 9-2 SAC mark. The Railsplitters were knocked out of the SAC tournament with semifinal loss to Wingate.
Collins served as head coach at Middlesboro High School from the spring 2000-08, tallying an overall record of 153-18 with the girl’s program which includes five regional titles and three regional runners-up honors. With the Yellow Jacket boys program, Collins amassed a record of 109-37 during that period and was regional runner-up with the program two times.
Collins resides in Middlesboro with his wife Debbie.
