Virginia Commonwealth University

If you ask Paul Kostin about his legacy as a collegiate tennis coach, he would tell you that there’s no legacy, he’s just coaching tennis and trying to make his student-athletes better in all aspects of their lives.

One look at his nearly 30 years as the face of VCU Tennis tells another story.

Entering his 30^th season with the Rams, the Sweden native moved into second place on the NCAA's all-time wins list on Feb. 17, 2016 in a victory over Richmond. He is one of four coaches in NCAA history to record 1,000 victories, and under his guidance as head coach from 1991-2018, VCU's men's program won 19 conference titles and made 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2019, Kostin was named VCU's Director of Tennis. He continues to serve as head coach of the women's program. 

Overall, Kostin, who has also steered the Rams' women's program since 2002, has amassed an eye-popping 1,173-429 record in 38 seasons at VCU and Arkansas-Little Rock, and has guided his teams to 42 conference titles and 38 NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Under the Kostin’s watchful eye as head coach from 1991-2018, VCU's men's teams reached the NCAA Tournament 21 times and earned a top-25 ranking in 18 of those seasons. He has coached eight All-Americans and three national champions.

It became clear early into Kostin’s tenure at VCU that success was imminent and going to be consistent. In just his fourth year (1994), he guided the Rams to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Six years later, the 2000 squad became the only VCU team to ever play for a national championship. The unseeded Rams strung together five consecutive victories, including wins over three of the nation’s top 13 ranked programs, to set up a showdown with Stanford for the national title. VCU advanced to the “Sweet 16” with a victory over No. 13 Mississippi continued its Cinderella story by upsetting fourth-ranked Illinois in the quarterfinal round. The Rams reached the title match with a thrilling 4-3 victory over powerhouse Tennessee in the Final Four and received a final ranking of No. 9 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Over the years, Kostin has been named USPTA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year 12 times, has been chosen as the ITA Regional Coach of the Year four times and was one of eight finalists for the ITA's National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1997. He was named the 2000 National College Coach of the Year by the USPTA and was named conference Coach of the Year 14 times.

Not only has Kostin directed VCU to great success as a team, but Ram players have shined individually as well under his guidance, both on the court and in the classroom. Daniel Andersson was selected as the ITA’s national Senior Player of the Year and the Verizon Spring At-Large Academic All-American of the Year for the 1999-00 season. Two VCU players, Olivier Tauma in 1997 and Andersson in 1998, also reached the semifinals of the NCAA individual singles championship, and Andersson also won a pair of ITA grand slam singles events during his outstanding career as a Ram. VCU’s doubles team of Frank Moser and Florian Marquardt also captured the 2000 T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Championship, the first leg of the collegiate grand slam, and the Rams qualified at least one player for the NCAA individual tournament in each of Kostin’s first 16 years at the helm. Nine of Kostin’s players have also earned ITA All-America status, including 2005 & 2006 honoree Le Cloerec, while three former Rams have been recognized as Academic All-Americans as well.

Before arriving at VCU, Kostin served as the head coach at his alma mater, Arkansas-Little Rock, from 1981 to 1990. In his nine years at UALR, the Trojans won six Trans America Conference titles and put together an overall record of 159-74.