{{Short description|American tennis coach (born 1966)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox tennis biography | name = Brian Kalbas | image = Brian Kalbas (2023 US Open) 01.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Kalbas at the 2023 US Open | country_represented = <!-- this is the country represented in international play, not citizenship --> | residence = | sportswear_(racquet) = | full_name = Brian Kalbas | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1966}} | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{death date and age|yyyy|mm|dd|yyyy|mm|dd}} first date is death date, second date is birth date--> | death_place = | height = 5 ft 7 in | college = Notre Dame (1985–1989) | coach = <!-- Coach(es); list the current coach or (if there is more than one) list the current coaches --> | turnedpro = | retired = | plays = | careerprizemoney = | tennishofyear = <!-- year inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame --> | tennishofid = <!-- ID from the Tennis HoF website, taken from http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/First Name-Last Name i.e. martina-navratilova, which is all undercase letters--> | website = <!-- official web site address like this: [http://www.site.com/ site.com] -->
| CoachYears = 1989–present | CoachPlayers = {{ubl|Notre Dame men's team (1989–1992)|William & Mary women's team (1992–2003)|North Carolina women's team (2003–present)}} | CoachSinglesTitles = | CoachDoublesTitles = | CoachTournamentRecord = | CoachingAwards = ITA Coach of the Year (1998, 2010, 2023) | CoachingRecords =
| medaltemplates = <!-- Olympic medal templates --> | medaltemplates-expand = <!-- expands the medaltemplates --> | updated = July 1, 2023 }} '''Brian Kalbas''' (born 1966) is an American college tennis coach. He has been the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels women's tennis team since 2003. He played college tennis and started his coaching career at the University of Notre Dame before becoming the head women's tennis coach at the College of William & Mary in 1992. He is a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coach of the Year and the winningest women's tennis coach in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history.<ref name="UNCbio">{{cite web|url=https://goheels.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/coaches/brian-kalbas/200|title=Brian Kalbas – Women's Tennis Coach|website=goheels.com|publisher=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics|access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref>
==College career==
Kalbas attended the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, where he played for the Fighting Irish tennis team. He compiled a singles record of 85 wins, 54 losses,<!--WP:CALC (1989-04-28 says two matches left)--> playing mostly in the team's {{nowrap|No. 1}} or {{nowrap|No. 2}} spot.<ref name="UNCbio"/><ref name="ND1989-05-01">{{cite news|url=https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1989-05-01_v22_130.pdf|title=Irish ready for future after season-ending win|last=Mitchell|first=Bob|date=May 1, 1989|page=14|work=The Observer|type=student newspaper|via=Archives of the University of Notre Dame|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref><ref name="ND1989-04-28">{{cite news|url=https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v22/1989-04-28_v22_129.pdf|title=Kalbas 'everything' to Irish|page=21|last=Mitchell|first=Bob|date=April 28, 1989|work=The Observer|type=student newspaper|via=Archives of the University of Notre Dame|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref> A strong counterpuncher<!--<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1987-04-13_v21_125.pdf|work=The Observer|type=student newspaper|page=9|date=April 13, 1987|last=Travers|first=George|access-date=July 1, 2023|title=Irish blow away EMU in impressive outing|via=Archives of the University of Notre Dame}}</ref>-->, he made up for his {{convert|5|ft|7|in|adj=on}} size with good court awareness, grit, and a willingness to play through injury.<ref name="ND1989-04-28"/><ref name="ND1988-02-08">{{cite news|url=https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v21/1988-02-08_v21_085.pdf|title=ND netters remain unbeaten, dominate visiting Toledo|page=14|last=Mitchell|first=Bob|date=February 8, 1988|work=The Observer|type=student newspaper|via=Archives of the University of Notre Dame|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Akron1984">{{cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-brian-kalbas2/127580443/|title=Teams will miss departing young players|newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal|date=August 12, 1984|last=Nold|first=Bob|access-date=July 3, 2023|via=Newspapers.com|page=E11}} Another citation for this height: {{cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-press-brian-kalbas/127580013/|title=Kalbas Rebounds for Third|last=Dulac|first=Gerry|date=June 2, 1983|access-date=July 3, 2023|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|pages=E9–10|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Teammates considered him an informal leader by his junior year.<ref name="ND1988-04-29">{{cite news|url=https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v21/1988-04-29_v21_133.pdf|title=Men's tennis finishes season at Illinois State|page=25|last=Travers|first=George|date=April 29, 1988|work=The Observer|type=student newspaper|via=Archives of the University of Notre Dame|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref> As the team captain in his senior year in 1988–89, he missed half of the season due to a sore shoulder and other injuries and fell to No. 3; he had helped recruit the player, freshman David DiLucia, who replaced him in the top spot.<ref name="ND1989-04-28"/><ref name="ND1988-04-29"/> Before the end of his senior year, he was hired as an assistant coach for the next season.<ref name="ND1989-05-01"/>
==Coaching career==
Kalbas remained an assistant coach at Notre Dame for three years.<ref name="UNCbio"/> In his last year, Notre Dame reached the final of the 1992 NCAA Championships.<ref name="UNCbio"/>
Kalbas served as the head coach of the William & Mary Tribe women's team from 1992 to 2003.<ref name="WMHOFbio">{{cite web|url=https://tribeathletics.com/news/2015/5/10/210082704.aspx|title=Brian Kalbas 2015 Hall of Fame Wrap Up|date=May 10, 2015|publisher=William & Mary Athletics|website=tribeathletics.com|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref> The team, under Kalbas, won the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA; now Coastal Athletic Association) league title nine times.<ref name="WMHOFbio"/> The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) named him Coach of the Year in 1998, the year of William & Mary's second consecutive quarterfinal finish in the NCAA Championships.<ref name="WMHOFbio"/>
Kalbas became the head coach of the University of North Carolina women's team in the summer of 2003.<ref name="UNCbio"/> Since its breakthrough 2009–10 season, the team has consistently held a place in the top 5 of the ITA rankings,<!--Apr 2022 source--> and they have won the ACC Championships six times and the ITA National Team Indoor Championships seven times.<ref name="UNCbio"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://goheels.com/news/2022/4/13/womens-tennis-50-years-unrelenting-excellence|title=50 Years: Unrelenting Excellence|date=April 13, 2022|website=goheels.com|publisher=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics|access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref> In Kalbas's twentieth season, North Carolina won its first NCAA team title at the 2023 Championships; he had led the program to five previous appearances in the NCAA semifinals, including one final appearance in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/2023-ncaa-championships---special--unc-team-wins-its-first-ever-.html|title=2023 NCAA Championships: 'Special' UNC team wins its first-ever D1 women's team title|last=Chiesa|first=Victoria|date=May 20, 2023|publisher=United States Tennis Association|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/coach-brian-kalbas-building-powerhouse-tennis-program-chapel-hill|title=Coach Brian Kalbas Building Powerhouse Tennis Program At Chapel Hill|date=June 4, 2014|website=chapelboro.com|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref> One of his North Carolina players has won an NCAA singles title (Jamie Loeb in 2015), and three North Carolina teams have won the NCAA doubles title (Jenna Long/Sara Anundsen in 2007, Makenna Jones/Elizabeth Scotty in 2021, and Fiona Crawley/Carson Tanguilig in 2023).<ref name="UNCbio"/> Kalbas was named the national Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2023.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621133006/tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/061610aab.html|archive-date=June 21, 2010|url=http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/061610aab.html|title=Kalbas Named National Coach Of The Year|date=June 16, 2010|website=tarheelblue.cstv.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wearecollegetennis.com/2023/06/12/2023-division-i-womens-tennis-ita-national-awards/|title=2023 Division I Women's Tennis ITA National Awards|date=June 12, 2023|publisher=Intercollegiate Tennis Association|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref> The active leader in NCAA {{nowrap|Division I}} dual match wins as a coach<!--Jeff Wallace has retired-->, he has signed a contract extension with North Carolina through 2027.<ref name="UNCbio"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://goheels.com/news/2023/6/29/womens-tennis-carolina-womens-tennis-coach-brian-kalbas-agrees-to-contract-extension.aspx|title=Brian Kalbas Agrees to Contract Extension|date=June 29, 2023|website=goheels.com|publisher=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics|access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Kalbas has two children with his wife, Suzanne.<ref name="UNCbio"/> His brother, Tim Kalbas, was a fellow member of the Notre Dame tennis team.<ref name="ND1988-02-08"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://und.com/an-irish-day-in-the-sun-5/|title=An Irish Day in the Sun|last=LaFleur|first=Pete|publisher=University of Notre Dame|access-date=July 1, 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalbas, Brian}} Category:Living people Category:1966 births Category:People from Carmel, Indiana Category:Sports coaches from Indiana Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's tennis players Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's tennis coaches Category:William & Mary Tribe women's tennis coaches Category:North Carolina Tar Heels women's tennis coaches Category:American tennis coaches