On February 5, 2005, head coach Eric Shore became the all-time winningest men's tennis coach in Auburn history as he guided his squad to a victory over Samford to capture win 193. Shore passed former coach Hugh Thomson's 192 career wins as Thomas was coach from 1982-1990. Eric Shore enters his 16th season and has established Auburn as one of the top programs in the country, posting 205 wins during his 15 seasons on the Plains.
Since coming to Auburn in 1990, Shore has guided the Tigers to five top-15 finishes and 11 NCAA tournament appearances in the last 12 years, including three final 16 appearances and two top-eight appearances.
Under Shore's guidance, the Tigers have had 12 All-American selections and 15 All-SEC honorees. In addition, 25 Tigers have participated in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships since Shore came to Auburn.
Last season, the men's squad made it six straight seasons when the group qualified for the NCAA Tournament. En route to defeating Middle Tennessee State, the squad led Shore to his 205th career win.
Even though the group did not advance past the second round, Gabor Zoltan Pelva qualified for singles play and with partner Alex Schweizer in doubles action. Shore coached Pelva to the second round of singles play and the pair into quarterfinal action. The Tigers concluded the 2005 campaign with a winning record, Shore's 10th at Auburn, as the team was 13-10 (.565).
In 2004, Shore led the Tigers to their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance after posting an 11-12 record during the regular season. Auburn fell to Texas in the first round, but saw Pelva advance to the `Final Four' of tennis after entering the tournament unranked.
The 2002 season proved to be one of many successes as Shore led the doubles team of Andrew Colombo and Mark Kovacs to the NCAA title. The duo went on to earn the honor of ITA Doubles Team of the Year. In the same season, the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for the third time in school history, defeating East Tennessee State, Mississippi State and Washington before falling to #4 UCLA in the quarterfinal round. Shore also led the Tigers to the quarters in 1998, defeating Illinois in the Sweet 16.
In addition to the many honors Shore's athletes have earned, he has also coached 18 players ranked in the final top 50 season rankings, including 11 ranked in the top-25 in singles and doubles.
A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Shore graduated from Francis Marion College in Florence, S.C., in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. While at Francis Marion, Shore finished his playing career ranked 20th nationally in NAIA singles.
Immediately after graduation, Shore was employed as the assistant tennis pro at the Scarsdale Golf Club in Hartsdale, N.Y. After leaving New York, he returned to South Carolina to coach the men's and women's tennis teams at Francis Marion and worked as an assistant pro at the Florence Country Club.
In 1985, Shore took over as assistant coach at the University of South Carolina and was instrumental in helping the Gamecocks achieve a top five national ranking in 1989. While at South Carolina, he earned a master's degree in physical education in 1990. Shore served as coordinator of the United States Tennis Association Boys' National Intersectional Team Championships.
Shore was named Auburn men's tennis coach prior to the 1991 season. Following a three-year rebuilding program, Shore led the Tigers' to a fifth-place finish in the SEC in just his fourth season.
Shore and his wife, Ann, have two daughters, Brooke (10) and Francie (4).
