Terry Porter begins his 21st season as the head women's tennis coach at Indiana Wesleyan University in 2011-12. He coached last years team to a 24-4 record, a Mid-Central College Conference championship in both the regular season and tournament and the 14th straight trip to the NAIA National Championships, advancing to the Round of 16. His team ended the season ranked No. 17 in the NAIA and his total record for his 20 years of coaching women's tennis at Indiana Wesleyan is 360-39.
Porter was selected as the 2004 Wilson/ITA NAIA Women's National Tennis Coach of the Year. He was also the National Christian College Athletic Association Women's National Tennis Coach of the Year in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008 as his team won the national championship in each of those years. Porter has been voted the MCC Coach of the Year 13 times. Porter was inducted into the Grant County Sports Hall of Fame in April, 2011.
Porter graduated from Marion High School in 1962, where he played baseball. In 1966, he graduated from Taylor (Ind.) University with a major in mathematics and a minor in accounting. He played baseball and tennis at Taylor. He received his M.A. in mathematics from Ball State (Ind.) University in 1968 and did further graduate work in computer science at Ball State in 1983.
Porter taught at IWU for 45 years as an Associate Professor of Mathematics before retiring in 2011. He was at IWU when intercollegiate sports began in 1968. He has had several coaching experiences in addition to women's tennis. Porter coached the men's tennis team from 1968 to 1995, compiling a 223-107 record and four consecutive trips to the NAIA national tournament in the mid-1980's. He was also the baseball coach from 1968-1970, the men's golf coach from 1973-1985, the men's assistant basketball coach from 1980-1987 and the head women's basketball coach from 1990-1999.
Porter's wife of 45 years, Betty, recently retired as an Assistant Professor of English at IWU. His son, Doug, graduated in 1994 from IWU and now teaches math and coaches boys and girls tennis at Marion High School. His daughter, Deb, a two-sport athlete (basketball and tennis) graduated from Indiana Wesleyan in 1997 and is a social worker in the Marion Community School system. Porter had the opportunity to coach Doug in tennis and to coach Deb in tennis and basketball. The Porter's have six grandchildren, all living in Marion.
Over the years, Porter has played competitive tennis in singles and doubles. He has enjoyed playing doubles in tournaments with his son and daughter. He also plays tournament doubles with his doubles partner of forty years, associate head coach Bill Beekman.
