Manuel Diaz, Jr.

The winningest coach in SEC history and one of the best in the history of collegiate tennis, Manuel Diaz retired in 2024 after 36 seasons as Georgia’s head coach. Diaz retired with 781 career wins, four NCAA team titles (1999, 2001, 2007-08), two ITA National Indoor championships and 11 trips to the NCAA finals. The Bulldogs dominated the SEC for much of his tenure, winning a combined (regular season or tournament) 29 conference titles. Diaz was named the SEC Coach of the Year seven times and was a three-time ITA National Coach of the Year. Diaz arrived at Georgia as a freshman in 1971, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was the beginning of a 46-year relationship between Diaz and Georgia that included many family ties. His younger brother, Ricky, played for the Bulldogs, as did two of his sons, Eric and Alex. Diaz was a two-time All-American as a student-athlete for the Bulldogs and returned to the program as Dan Magill’s assistant coach from 1982-88, helping Georgia win the 1985 and ’87 NCAA titles. Diaz took over for Magill as head coach after the 1988 season, and the Bulldogs advanced to at least the NCAA quarterfinals 27 times and finished ranked in the top five on 19 occasions. As an assistant or head coach, Diaz coached five NCAA singles champions and three doubles champions. He is already a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame, the Puerto Rican Tennis Hall of Fame and the USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.