DAVE RAMOS TO TAKE OVER AS MEN'S TENNIS HEAD COACH AT FSU

Fifth-year Women's Tennis Coach To Fill Vacant Ferris State Position

Ramos, who served as the Bulldogs' interim men's tennis head coach this spring, takes over as the school's 14th head coach and succeeds Kevin Brandalik, who resigned from the position in January. Ramos, who was a member of the 1995 FSU men's tennis team, will continue to serve as a head tennis professional for Ferris’ Racquet and Fitness Center, the school’s Professional Tennis Management (PTM) program and direct summer camps. A search is presently underway to fill the vacant women's tennis head coaching post.

"Tom Kirinovic (FSU Athletics Director) and I are very proud of the accomplishments Dave has attained as head coach of the women's tennis program," said FSU Assistant Athletics Director Brian Kegler. "He has taken the program to new heights and his presence with the Ferris women's tennis program will be missed.

"However, we are fortunate to have such a talented coach and individual to transition into the men's coaching position."

A Ferris State alumnus, Ramos was recently (May 16) named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Great Lakes Region Women's Coach of the Year after leading FSU to its 10th consecutive and 15th all-time NCAA Division II Tournament appearance this season. The squad reached the final round of 16 for the second time in four years and the sixth time overall. The Bulldogs finished the year with a 17-3 overall record and earned their fifth regional crown in the last seven seasons to date. Ferris, which was ranked as high as 18th nationally this campaign, also placed second in both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament competition during the 2004-05 season.

"I'm excited and thrilled to be able to coach the team I previously played for at the college level," Ramos said. "It's a prestigious position and I'm looking forward to the challenge of keeping the team at a competitive level nationally and maintaining the program's outstanding tradition."

Ramos, who was voted the ITA/Wilson Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2001, directed the Ferris women's squad to an 18-8 overall mark, the school's first-ever NCAA-II national quarterfinal round appearance and a top 20 national ranking during the 2003-04 campaign. He also coached former Bulldog players Jennifer Garvey and Barbora Jilkova, who were honored as the school's first-ever All-Americans in 2001-02. Previously, Ramos led the Bulldogs to a GLIAC Tournament Championship in 2002-03 after guiding the squad to its 17th-consecutive league regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA-II Tournament in his first season as head coach in 2000-01.

"I believe I've accomplished everything I can with the women's program thus the reason for making a change," said Ramos. "It has been a great learning experience for me and I'll continue to look back and consider our accomplishments in women's tennis as some of the most important of my coaching career."

The Bulldog men’s tennis team claimed its sixth consecutive regional championship under Ramos' tutelage this spring. Ferris, which was 13-10 overall this campaign, advanced to the NCAA-II Sweet Sixteen for the ninth time in school history. FSU also made its eighth-straight and 11th all-time tournament bid after earning second-place recognition in the both the GLIAC's regular-season and tournament action.

Prior to his head coaching tenure at Ferris, Ramos was the Assistant Director of the Tennis Europe program based in Stamford, Conn. His duties included supervising and directing the 12 teams in tournaments throughout Europe. Ramos previously served as the assistant coach for the Ferris women's tennis program in the 1998-99 season during his undergraduate years in the university's nationally-acclaimed PTM program. As an assistant under former head coach Ed Luck, Ramos helped guide the nationally-ranked Bulldogs to their first appearance in the NCAA-II Tournament since the 1985-86 season. FSU finished 30-5 overall in the '98-99 season, which included a first-place 12-0 mark in the GLIAC.

Ramos has also worked as the director of Juvenile Development at the Columbus Tennis Club in Manhattan, N.Y. and as the staff pro at the prestigious John Gardiner Tennis Resort on Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz. While employed at exclusive clubs in Greenwich and New York City, Ramos was a hitting partner for Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Dick Savitt and Patrick McEnroe along with a host of celebrities.

The Southhampton, N.Y., native is a 1995 FSU graduate with a bachelor's degree in International Business. A 1987 graduate of Sachem North High School in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Ramos competed in both tennis and basketball during his prep athletic career. He is a member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

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Transaction
Ferris State University – Named Dave Ramos men's tennis head coach