Bryan Shelton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bryan Shelton

Shelton in 2023
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Gainesville, Florida
Born	(1965-12-22) December 22, 1965 (age 59) Huntsville, Alabama
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	1989
Retired	1997
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$1,220,283
Singles
Career record	104–137
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 55 (March 23, 1992)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	2R (1991)
French Open	2R (1994)
Wimbledon	4R (1994)
US Open	2R (1989)
Doubles
Career record	94–129
Career titles	2
Highest ranking	No. 52 (February 28, 1994)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (1991, 1994)
French Open	3R (1990)
Wimbledon	3R (1994)
US Open	2R (1992, 1993, 1994)

Bryan Shelton (born December 22, 1965) is an American former college tennis coach and former professional tennis player. During his playing career, he won two singles and two doubles ATP tour titles, and reached the mixed doubles final at the 1992 French Open, partnering Lori McNeil. Shelton played collegiately for Georgia Tech from 1985 to 1988, and then played professionally from 1989 to 1997.

He subsequently returned to his alma mater to coach the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets women's tennis team, which won the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship in 2007. He then served as the head coach of the Florida Gators men's tennis team of the University of Florida, where he coached the Gators to winning the 2021 NCAA Championship. He is the only head coach to have won a national championship in both men and women's NCAA Division I Tennis.

In 2023, Shelton retired from collegiate coaching to coach his son, Ben Shelton, for the latter's professional career. The younger Shelton has also become an ATP Tour titlist, major semifinalist at the 2023 US Open, and world No. 14.

Early years

Shelton was born in Huntsville, Alabama. For high school, he attended Randolph School in Huntsville. He played for the Randolph Raiders boys' tennis team, and won the Alabama high school singles championship in 1982–1984.

Personal life

He is the father of tennis player Ben Shelton.

College career

Shelton accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, where he played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's tennis team from 1985 to 1988. Shelton was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion in singles in 1985, and he and teammate Richy Gilbert were the ACC champions in doubles 1986. He was recognized as an All-ACC selection during each of his four seasons as a Yellow Jacket, and was named an All-American in 1988. Shelton won the United States Amateur Championships in 1985. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering in 1989, and was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.

Professional career

Shelton won two singles titles (Newport, 1991 and 1992) during his professional career. He also reached the mixed doubles final at the 1992 French Open, partnering Lori McNeil. The right-hander reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on March 23, 1992, when he became number 55 in the world; his highest doubles ranking, 52, occurred on February 28, 1994. He was inducted into the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Coaching

Shelton officially retired from the professional tour in 1997, and was named a United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Coach, a position he held from January 1998 until June 1999. Shelton coached MaliVai Washington, a 1996 Wimbledon finalist.

Shelton became head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets women's tennis team in July 1999. In his first season as coach at Georgia Tech, his team went to the second round of the NCAA tournament, upsetting the No. 25 Washington Huskies before falling to the No. 9 UCLA Bruins. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2002, 2005, and 2007. His 2007 team won the Yellow Jackets' third-straight ACC Championship. They then won Georgia Tech's first NCAA-recognized team championship on May 22, 2007, by defeating UCLA in the finals of the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship. Prior to his coaching tenure, the Georgia tech women's tennis team had never qualified for the NCAA tournament. Shelton was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coach of the Year in 2007.

Shelton in 2016

On June 8, 2012, the University of Florida announced that Shelton had been hired as the new head coach of the Florida Gators men's tennis team.

On June 2, 2023, Shelton announced that he was stepping down from his coaching position.

Head coaching record

ATP career finals

Singles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Jul 1991	Newport, U.S.	Grass	Javier Frana	3–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win	2–0	Jul 1992	Newport, U.S.	Grass	Alex Antonitsch	6–4, 6–4
Loss	2–1	May 1993	Atlanta, U.S.	Clay	Jacco Eltingh	6–7(1–7), 2–6

Doubles (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Jul 1990	Newport, U.S.	Grass	Todd Nelson	Darren Cahill Mark Kratzmann	6–7, 2–6
Win	1–1	Feb 1994	Mexico City, Mexico	Clay	Francisco Montana	Luke Jensen Murphy Jensen	6–3, 6–4
Win	2–1	Dec 1996	Adelaide, Australia	Hard	Patrick Rafter	Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde	6–4, 1–6, 6–3

Singles performance timeline

See also

In Spanish: Bryan Shelton para niños

• Florida Gators
• History of the University of Florida
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
• List of Georgia Institute of Technology athletes
• Roland Thornqvist
• University Athletic Association