UMBC

Bio

	Keith Puryear
	Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: UMBC, 1990

UMBC Head Coach Keith Puryear is extremely excited about the state of UMBC Tennis, and who can blame him after the Retrievers’ string of recent success. "It gives me great satisfaction to see the types of things that we’ve been able to accomplish," Puryear said. "Both teams took major steps up last season by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, and I feel very good about our program." The women’s team has won the Northeast Conference Championship and have appeared in the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, while the men won their first ever Northeast Conference crown last spring and made their first ever NCAA appearance. "The NCAA Tournament experience has been tremendous for us. It’s provided great exposure for both of our programs, and has allowed our players to play against great players. It gives us an idea of where we stand and what we need to do to compete at that level." Although Puryear is driven by winning, he always makes sure that success in academics takes priority. Team members are committed to excelling in the classroom and are consistently among the department’s leaders in student-athletes earning semester honors. Part of Puryear’s formula for success is found in his philosophy of tennis. "I look at tennis as a way to develop character," said Puryear. "Being that it’s an individual sport, it builds self-reliance, and teaches one how to deal with adversity and pressure. Tennis helps to develop the principles of hard work and how to achieve one’s goals. Tennis is more than wins and losses; thinking in that manner is too narrow a process. For a coach, it becomes a goal to help each individual to become the best they can be, to instill principles and ideals that they can take with them into their adult lives." Puryear is a certified USPATA professional and instructor for the Tennis Institute, where he coaches several MATA- and nationally-ranked juniors. He also currently plays at the competitive level in both Maryland and in the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Association, where he has been ranked in the top five in the state for the past five years, and has been ranked as high as #2 in doubles on four different occasions. Puryear, a two-time state doubles champion, is also an instructor at the Green Spring, Perring, and Twin Lakes Racquet Clubs. Coach Puryear transferred to UMBC after attending and playing at Howard University for two years. Following a year of tennis at UMBC, Keith changed venues and entered the United States Marine Corps for the years of 1983-88. Returning to his studies at UMBC, Puryear graduated with a B.S. in Economics in the spring of 1990. Coach Puryear was selected Big South Conference Women’s Coach of the Year in 1997-98, and won the 1999 Women’s Coach of the Year as well as the 2000 Men’s Coach of the Year last spring. Keith, his wife Venida, and daughters Jasmynn (11) and Keri (5) live in Baltimore, Maryland.