UT Tyler head tennis coach steping away from program

TYLER, Texas (KETK)– The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler) announced last week that long-time men’s and women’s head tennis coach Chris Bizot is stepping down after accepting a new coaching role out of state.

According to UT Tyler, Bizot, who has been leading the Patriots’ tennis program for over 16 years, has accepted a position as the head women’s tennis coach at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

“It has been a blessing to lead these programs for so many years,” Bizot said. “I would like to thank Dr. Howard Patterson and Dr. Rod Mabry for hiring a young and inexperienced coach back in 2004. Most importantly, I would like to thank all the players (current and former) who have achieved unbelievable success on and off the court.”

During his tenure at UT Tyler, Bizot led the women’s tennis team to its first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship appearance in 2025 and led the men’s team to three Lone Star Conference championships.

“Coach Bizot has been transformational for Patriot tennis,” Director of Athletics Sam Ferguson said. “Through multiple Lone Star Conference championships, four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a historic run to the national semifinals, he built one of the elite programs in NCAA Division II. We are deeply grateful for everything he has given this program.”

The university said it will immediately begin a search for the next head coach for the program.