Dr. Tom Meinhardt was part of the Towson athletics program for 32 years as a coach and athletic director and was inducted into the Tiger Hall of Fame in 2003.
In 26 years as the Tigers’ tennis coach he compiled a 378-239 record, the most victories by any Towson coach in any sport. During his tenure, he led the Tigers to conference championships in three different leagues. Most recently he led Towson to the 1998 America East championship. In 1988, he coached the Tigers to a 24-2 record and their first East Coast Conference title.
In his first season as the Towson coach, Meinhardt led Towson to the 1977 Mason-Dixon Conference title. In 26 years, he led Towson to 19 winning seasons. He was honored as the America East Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2000. He was also named as Towson’s Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1998.
Meinhardt coached the Tigers to four ECAC South Fall Invitational championships. In addition, Towson was the America East runner-up in 2000 and finished as ECC runner-up six times.
A native of East Cleveland, Ohio, he came to Towson in 1970 as the director of athletics and served in that role for nine years. During that time, the program enjoyed unprecedented success and the foundation was built for Towson’s move up to NCAA Division I status. During his tenure as athletic director, the very new Tiger football team grew into a small college powerhouse, and the Tiger men’s lacrosse team won the USILA College Division national championship.
During the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons, the Tigers were one of the top Division II basketball teams in the nation with a two-year record of 53-7. Towson hosted the NCAA South Atlantic regional tournament twice. While serving as athletic director, he also taught in the physical education department at Towson. In 1979, Towson moved up to the NCAA division I classification, and Meinhardt stepped down as athletic director.
He remained with the program, coaching tennis and teaching. He retired as professor emeritus in 1996 but remained as the tennis coach.
A 1954 graduate of Kent State, he taught and coached in the East Cleveland school system for nine years. In 1964, he was named as the tennis coach at Northern Illinois University. In three years, he led NIU to a 52-40 record. He also earned his master’s degree from Kent State and his doctorate from the University of Illinois. He and his wife Judy have two sons and a daughter and grandchildren.
