-----------------~de~h~ COACH DAVID ELLIOTT SERVES THROUGH THE YEARS As he entered his 39th year as the head coach of the men's tennis team, David Elliott had already secured his reputation as one of the most successful coaches in Harding athletic history. In addition to the achievement of coaching at the collegiate level for 39 years, Elliott never had a losing season, which helped establish his significance in Harding athletics. Elliott, husband of Len and father of three, said he first developed a passion for tennis during his early college years. His success could be traced to his tennis career with the Bisons. "I played (tennis] in college," Elliott said. "I think at that time I saw it as a sport that I could excel in." "Coach Elliott definitely loves the game of tennis," Marco Ruiz, former player and assistant coach to Elliott, said. "Tennis is his number one passion in life. He enjoys every single aspect of being a tennis coach, which is very inspiring to me." In 1968, while Elliott was a member of the team, the men's team finished ninth in nationals. In 1992, they finished ninth again. Amy Adair, M.Ed., Asst. Prof. Edu. Scott Adair, D.Min., Asst. Prof. Bible Daniel Adams, M.F.A., Prof. Art David Adams, Ph.D., Asst. Prof. Glen Adams, Psy.D., Assoc. Prof. Psych. Usen Akpanudo, Ed. D., Asst. Prof. Edu. Jenene Alexander, Ed.D., Prof./Dir. Pro Counsel Tom Alexander, Ph.D., Prof. COBM David Allen, M.B.A., Assoc. Prof. Acct. Dan Atchley, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Pharm. Beverly Austin, M.A., Asst. Prof. Art Steve Baber, Ph.D., Prof. Math/Comp. Sci. Tim Baird, Ph.D., Prof. Comp. Sci./Dept. Chair Amy Baker, M.S., lnstr. Comm. Sci. and Disorders Kim Baker-Abrams, M.S.W, Assoc. Prof. Social Work David Bangs, Ed.D., Assoc. Prof. Klay Bartee, M.FT. , Asst. Prof. Pat Bashaw, M.Ed., Asst. Prof. Edu./Dir. Adult Ext. Edu. 204 I Leadership With Elliott as coach, the men's team was ranked regionally several times, and the women's team qualified seven .times for nationals as well. "There are several things that make Coach Elliott a fantastic coach: knowledge, experience, etcetera," Ruiz said. "However, the one thing that stood out the most to me over the years is his Christian-like way of treating his players, something that you won't find in many coaches across the country. Coach Elliott is always looking for ways to help out his players inside and outside of the tennis courts." Elliott kept Christianity at the core of his teaching. He turned the tennis courts into a mission field and made it a personal goal to deepen his players' relationships with Jesus. "I try to be the kind of example I should be, not because I have to, but because I want to," Elliott said. "We've had a very good track record of bringing in decent people that saw the value of a place like Harding. We have had a number of our international players that came in with a different religious background or no religious background that have become faithful Christians, and we are certainly proud of that." A Christian faith may have been the most important thing Elliott passed down over the years, but it was not the only thing. Current players said they were still learning valuable life lessons from him. Junior Autrey Bradley said she had learned many principles from Elliott that were worth remembering . "The main thing I have learned from Coach is to never give up on anything and to always do my best," Bradley said. "He is always demanding our very best on and off the tennis court. He sets the best Christian example possible." Elliott recognized that he was nearing the end of one of the most successful coaching careers Harding had ever seen, but he would not take any credit for his coaching success. According to him, his success could always be traced back to his players. "We've had good kids," Elliott said. "Everything I have accomplished has been the result of having good kids." Corey Stumne
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==