Billy Martin

Biography

The program’s all-time leader in head-coaching wins, Billy Martin enters his 33rd year directing UCLA men’s tennis in 2025-26. It also marks his 43rd year on staff, as he assisted friend and mentor Glenn Bassett for 10 years prior to taking the reins in 1994. Owner of a 676-175 (.794) career record, Martin passed Bassett April 25, 2019 with win No. 593. The longest-tenured active head coach at UCLA is only the fourth in the history of the men’s tennis program, following legends Bill Ackerman (1921-1950), J.D. Morgan (1951-1966) and Bassett (1967-1993). Martin became just the third active head coach to be inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, joining Al Scates and Valorie Kondos Field, in 2015. Perhaps the most amazing accomplishment in Martin’s career is his ability to consistently compete for championships, as his teams have posted top-five finishes at the season-ending NCAA Championships in 24 of 31 completed seasons. Martin’s finest season at the helm came in 2005, when he led UCLA to its first NCAA title since 1984. The 4-3 come-from-behind victory over top-seeded and undefeated Baylor in College Station, Texas marked UCLA’s 16th NCAA team championship in men’s tennis, and the school’s 97th overall. The win snapped Baylor’s 57-match winning streak, the second longest in NCAA history. It also avenged the Bruins’ 4-0 loss to the Bears in the 2004 NCAA final. In addition to the dramatic run to the title in 2005, Martin has had several near misses at the NCAA Champion