After more than 25 years of leading the tennis program at Oxford High School, head coach Louis Nash is set to retire at the end of this school year. His decision marks the close of a career in high school tennis that began over 40 years ago.

Nash started coaching tennis in 1982 at RH Watkins High School in Laurel. He stayed there until 1984, then served as head coach at Greenville’s St. Joseph High School from 1986 to 1993. In 2001, he accepted a job at Oxford High School, where he has remained ever since.

Throughout his career, his varsity teams have recorded 600 wins against only 67 losses. Under his leadership, OHS has won 17 state team championships.

Nash has earned several accolades himself. He is a two-time recipient of the MAC Coach of the Year award and was named the U.S. Professional Tennis Association Coach of the Year for Mississippi in 2019. In January 2023, he was inducted into the Mississippi Tennis Hall of Fame, and in 2024, he was named the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

This June, he will be inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame.

When asked what kept him at Oxford for so many years, Nash pointed to the strength of the community and the ties his family built there.

“Teaching and coaching, my wife teaching at OHS, our kids growing up here, our church, friends—Oxford is just a really good place to live,” Nash said.

Now, he and his wife Rose are preparing to move to southeastern Minnesota, where they purchased a home on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. It’s a return of sorts for Nash, who grew up on the same river in Greenville—just much farther south.

“My wife sent me a picture of this place for sale, and I said, ‘Let’s buy it!’” Nash said. “We did, and I told the athletic directors the next day and the team the day after. Kind of boom-boom.”

Their daughter Sarah, a nurse in La Crosse, Wisconsin, will live downstairs in the new home, and many family members live nearby.

Nash expressed gratitude to the many students, families, and school leaders he worked with over the years.

“I’m very grateful for all the students I’ve had the privilege to teach and coach—and to learn from in return,” he said. “The character and talent of these kids shaped our program. They deserve the credit for our success.”

He also acknowledged the support of Oxford School District leaders, naming former athletic directors Johnny Hill, who recruited him to OHS, along with Mike Martin, Chris Baughman and Tabitha Beard. He credited their consistent backing and the early efforts of community members like Debbie Seindoll for helping build the program in the early years.

“Oxford has been so good to me and my family,” Nash said. “I’ve been very fortunate to be a small part of so many positive things happening in this town through the years.”