ATLANTA – Oglethorpe Director of Athletics Todd Brooks is pleased to announce the hiring of Taylor Stewart as the head coach for men's and women's tennis.

Stewart is a seasoned player and coach, coming to Oglethorpe most recently from Sandy Springs Tennis Academy where he served as an instructor for the last three years. Stewart also has coached and taught at Brandt Tennis Academy, HitClub Tennis Academy and Universal Tennis Academy.

"I am excited that Taylor accepted our offer to be our head tennis coach," said Brooks. "His passion and enthusiasm for tennis and for building and strengthening our tennis program were obvious to the members of the search committee. He has an excellent familiarity with the Atlanta tennis community, and his connections will prove beneficial in his recruiting efforts on behalf of the institution."

Prior to his stint at Sandy Spring Tennis Academy, Stewart served as professional tennis instructor at Brandt Tennis Academy in Roswell where he trained individuals and teams, coached numerous ALTA and USTA teams, and successfully grew several junior groups by over 200%. He also created and implemented new tennis training methods to include touchtennis, QuickStart Tennis and other indoor gymnasium workouts and activities to promote fitness and new skills.

Stewart moved back to Atlanta for the Sandy Springs Tennis Academy position in 2021 after founding HitClub Tennis Academy in Guntersville, Alabama, in 2014 and serving there for seven years. With HitClub, Stewart launched and grew the tennis academy to over 150 junior and adult players across seven counties in northeast Alabama. Many of these juniors he developed into college-caliber players who would earn scholarships to play in college.

"I am extremely honored and excited to be the head coach for men's and women's tennis at Oglethorpe University," said Stewart. "Oglethorpe is an incredible place for academics as well as athletics. It is truly an honor to follow in the footsteps of great men like Peter Howell and Paul Danielson in the tennis program. I'm looking forward to working with Oglethorpe's great staff and student-athletes." 

From 2011 to 2014, Stewart served as a full-time teaching pro at Chastain Park and Blackburn Tennis Center in Atlanta where he organized ALTA league practices, drills and private instruction alongside former Oglethorpe coach Paul Danielson.

Stewart's first arrival in Georgia came in 2007 for a position with Georgia Tech's Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where he served in multiple roles. This included athletics team Chaplain, assistant campus director and national director. Here, Stewart was responsible for character development and spiritual guidance for athletes and coaches, organizing events, studies, personal and team meetings with coaches, athletes and support staff.

Born and raised in Rainbow City, Alabama, Stewart graduated from Samford University in Birmingham in 2004 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in religion. He is also a certified teaching professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association.