Entering his 18th season with the Bucs, George Samuel has led the women’s tennis team to post-season play nearly every year, including 15 NCAA National Tournament appearances. Samuel led the Bucs to a top-20 finish in NCAA Division II in 2007.

Barry made its 14th consecutive appearance at the NCAA South Regional Tournament in 2007 while suffering a disappointing first-round loss to Rollins, 5-4. Still, the four-time Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year continues the legacy of one of the most triumphant women’s tennis programs in NCAA Division II.

Samuel also boasts academic excellence in his program as the women’s tennis team led all Barry’s athletic programs with a 3.458 spring term GPA and a remakable 3.503 cummulative GPA. Samuel has notably set standards for his players both on the court and in the classroom.

In 2006, the Bucs were awarded their 13th straight NCAA tournament bid for the 2007 season where they suffered a heart-breaking loss to #14 Rollins College 5-4 in the first round.

Samuel led the Bucs to their third SSC championship in 2005, posting 23 wins. The Bucs hosted the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament and then advanced to the semifinals round of the NCAA National Championships.

In 2004, the women advanced to the NCAA Southeast Region Final. All-American Natascha Loebnitz helped the women to a 14-11 overall record and a 5-2 mark in SSC play.

In 2003, the women finished second at nationals and posted a 27-4 overall record, the best in school history. Victoria Courmes, Conny Grunes and Gizella Turbok each garnered All-America honors.

In 2002, the Bucs went 26-4, winning their second SSC title. The women also finished with a record-setting 25-match win streak. Courmes, Maria Lopez and Turbok earned first-team All-SSC and ITA All-American honors, while Turbok and Bojana Miladinovic received second-team doubles honors.

In 2001, Samuel led the women’s team to a break-out season, posting a 24-6 record. They finished third in the nation, their best performance since 1998. He also coached two All-Americans and four All-Sunshine State Conference honorees.
In 2000, he led the squad to the NCAA National Championship for the sixth consecutive season. The Barry women lost in the regional qualifier.

In 1999, the women posted a solid 20-8 mark and upset Rollins College in the South Region Championship.

The 1998 season was one of the most successful in Barry history, as the men were NCAA Division II national runners up and the women finished in third place in Springfield, Mo. The Buccaneer women captured their first-ever SSC title.

Samuel has coached 13 women All-Americans during his career including: Jennifer Araldi, Victoria Courmes, Ildiko Csordas, Conny Grunes, Anna Hallbergson, Natascha Loebnitz, Maria Lopez, Sabine Lutter, Inma Navarro, Nicole Roth, Gizella Turbok, Greta Trotman, and Ana Maria Zuleta.

Samuel assumed the head coaching position of the men’s program in 1992, leading the team to one of its best seasons. The women’s team continued to thrive, finishing with a #15 national ranking. In his first year at Barry (1991), he led the women’s team to a then school-best 16-4 record and a #7 final ranking.

Samuel earned a prestigious “double” as he became only the second SSC tennis conference coach to be named both men’s and women’s Coach-of-the-Year the same season in 1998 and again in 2005. He has won the SSC women’s honor four times (1996, 1998, 2002 and 2005). In addition to coaching both tennis squads, Samuel is also an assistant professor of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

A native of Miami, Samuel was ranked #10 in the state of Florida in the men’s open division during his outstanding playing career. He starred for Miami-Dade North Community College from 1981-83 and for East Tennessee State University from 1983-85.

Samuel is a graduate of Miami-Dade North, East Tennessee State, and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he received his doctorate in Health Sciences.