William Jewell College Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer has announced that Doug Elly has been named the head coach of the Cardinal men's and women's tennis programs, effective immediately. 
 
"We are extremely excited to welcome Doug Elly to the Jewell community, said Eisenhauer." "His success as a player and a coach and extensive knowledge of the game of tennis is a valuable asset to our student-athletes as we continue to grow our programs. I know his positive attitude and the value he places on higher education will help him thrive on our campus." 

Elly comes to Jewell from Fort Myers, Florida where he has served as the Assistant Pro for Legends Golf and Country Club. Prior to Legends he spent 22 years in Springfield, Missouri serving as the Associate Pro at Hickory Hills Country Club and Cooper Tennis Complex. In addition, he made stops as the head coach of Missouri State and Evangel University as well as a stint as the assistant coach at Drury University. 

During his career he has coached more than 50 players who have gone on to play collegiately. While as the head coach at Missouri State, he mentored Pavel Hanek who following his collegiate career went on to play on the ATP World Tour where he earned a win on a top-10 ranked player. 

As a student-athlete, Elly played No. 1 singles and doubles at NCAA-I Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State) where he was a two-time conference Player of the Year, in addition to earning three All-Mid-Continent honors in doubles and two in singles. 

Following his collegiate career he played on the professional tour from 1988-1991, followed by a national rank of No. 3 in Men's 45 singles in 2008. Elly has also taken part in the Team USA Dubler Cup World Championships, was a Gordon Murphy USA Team member, and a National Grass Court Doubles Champion in three consecutive years. Most recently his playing career took him to France and Finland as a part of the Team USA Fred Perry Cup World Championships in 2015 and 2016. During his playing career he was also mentored by three former No. 1 world players, Rod Laver, Pancho Segura, and Bobby Riggs. 
 
"I'm really happy to be a part of the Jewell family," said Elly. "I am a firm believer in education and a believer in athletics as a part of that education because it enriches the student experience and Jewell has shown that this community blends these two things together very well." 

A native of San Diego, California, Elly holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish Language with a minor in Literature from Missouri State University.