A 2026 inductee into the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Paul Bates is in his second season on the SJU tennis staff in 2026-27.
Over the course of nearly four decades, Paul Bates has built one of the most accomplished and consistent high school tennis programs in Minnesota history. Serving as the boys’ and girls’ head coach at St. Cloud Tech and later St. Cloud Crush High School, the career reflects a commitment to excellence, player development, and competitive integrity.
On the boys’ side, Paul led the program for 24 seasons, earning 313 career wins. Under his leadership, the boys’ teams qualified for the state tournament nine times, highlighted by a fourth-place finish and two sixth-place finishes. The program captured 14 Central Lakes Conference championships and produced 31 individual state tournament qualifiers through 2025. These achievements were recognized with honors, including Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000 and Section Coach of the Year in 2010.
The girls’ program, which Paul coached over 33 seasons, reached even greater heights. The teams amassed 498 wins and qualified for the state tournament 17 times, with three runner-up finishes, one third-place finish, four fourth-place finishes, and two fifth-place finishes. The program dominated the Central Lakes Conference with 22 championships and sent an extraordinary 83 individual players to the state tournament through 2025. Paul Bates was named Section Coach of the Year five times (1993, 1994, 1996, 2009, and 2018) and earned the prestigious Minnesota State High School Coach of the Year award in 2017.
Across both programs, Paul’s teams have compiled a remarkable 811 total career wins over 57 combined seasons.
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