ARKADELPHIA – Ouachita Baptist University men's tennis coach Craig Ward has announced he will retire at the end of the 2024 season following a successful tenure of 34 years with the Tigers.

Craig's wife, Kim, long-time manager of the Kim and Craig Ward Tennis Center on the Ouachita campus, is also retiring.

"It's impossible to say in a few words how grateful Kim and I are to the Heflin family and Ouachita for giving us this opportunity 34 years ago," said Craig Ward. "The wins and losses fade over time, but the relationships with my fellow coaches, faculty, and players will last forever. Go Tigers!"

"Craig has done a masterful job leading our men's tennis program," said Ouachita Director of Athletics David Sharp. "I can't thank the Heflin family enough for their vision 34 years ago in constructing our tennis facility and giving us the opportunity to compete at the highest level, which we have done under Craig's leadership. Craig's knowledge, experience, and expertise allowed us to take what was already a successful program to the next level. We are so thankful to Craig and Kim, and wish them both the best in the next chapter of their lives."

The Wards joined the Ouachita family in August of 1990, and in more than three decades since, have sustained the tradition of success for the university's men's tennis program that won 12 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference titles prior to Ward's arrival. Ward's Tigers won the final three AIC championships in the now-defunct league.

Under Ward's guidance, the men's tennis program transitioned into an NAIA independent team for three years before making another transition to the NCAA Division II level in 1997. Since then, Ward has led the Tigers to 20 national tournament appearances, including finishing as high as third place in 2000. Four other Ward-led Tiger teams advanced to the national quarterfinals.

The Tigers have posted 11 conference championship seasons under Ward's coaching, including the last three years in the AIC (1992, 1993, 1994), two years in the Lone Star Conference (1999, 2000), five years as either the regular season champion or tournament champion of the Great American Conference (2012-16), and most recently one championship in the combined GAC/Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (2022). During Ouachita's tenure as members of the Gulf South Conference, Ward led the Tigers to 11 divisional championships (2001-11).

Overall during his 34 years at Ouachita, Ward has compiled a record of 472-217. The Tigers have been a mainstay in the national rankings under Ward's leadership, including the No. 1 spot in the country on two different occasions. In eight different seasons, Ward's Tigers finished the year ranked in the top 10 by the ITA.

Ward has been named conference coach of the year seven times and was selected as the GSC-West Coach of the Decade (2001-10). He was also honored as the NAIA Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year in 1995, the Jim Verdieck College Coach of the Year presented by the Professional Tennis Registry in 2012, and the Central Region Coach of the Year in 2022. He was inducted into the Arkansas Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.

Ward's Tigers have racked up 30 All-America selections, 35 academic All-America selections, and 98 all-conference honors.

Before taking over at Ouachita, Ward was a full-time instructor for more than a decade with a pro one rating. In 1982, he was named both the Arkansas Tennis Association Professional of the Year and the Southern Professional of the Year. In the 10 years prior to coming to Ouachita, he served as the club pro at a private club in his hometown of Texarkana.