BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Longtime Samford head men's tennis coach Rahim Esmail has accepted a position as associate head coach at the University of Washington, the UW athletics department announced Thursday afternoon.
 
"I have mixed emotions on Rahim leaving Samford to become the associate head coach at the University of Washington," Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said. "On one hand, I am excited for the opportunity for him to get closer to his family in Vancouver and coach at a very prestigious institution like UW.  On the other hand, I'm disappointed he will be leaving a program he invested so much of his time, energy and passion in over the past 10 years. He has had a positive impact on so many of us here at Samford that will last a long time. His Samford family wishes him nothing but the best in his new endeavor and consider him as a Bulldog for life."
 
Esmail coached the Samford men's tennis team for the past 10 seasons and leaves as the program's all-time winningest coach. In his 10 seasons at the helm of the Samford program, Esmail lifted the Bulldogs to 110 wins, an NCAA Tournament appearance, a Southern Conference Tournament championship, a 17-win season and a share of the 2012 SoCon title. 
 
"I cannot express how grateful I am to the Samford Athletics Department for giving me the opportunity to be the head men's tennis coach for the past 10 plus seasons," Esmail said. "The opportunity that Martin Newton gave me over 10 years ago, I couldn't have imagined at the time that this place would mean so much to me in so many ways. I am forever thankful for him and his trust in me. It has been an absolute joy to come to work every day and be surrounded by the people that we have in our athletic department. I have met some of my closest friends here within our athletic department, and they have been a major part of why this place is so special. Many people, players, coaches, alumni, staff, supporters, you name it, have put a lot into this program over the past 10 seasons to help build it to what it has become, and I cannot thank them enough for being a major part of all the success that we have had."
 
His 2013 team won the SoCon Tournament title for just the second time in program history. That same season, Esmail helped Samford make history by earning the first No. 3 regional seed in both school and SoCon history. The Bulldogs also garnered their highest ranking in program history (No. 57) and snapped a 31-match, 52-year losing streak versus in-state rival Alabama. Samford's win over the Crimson Tide proved to be its first against a ranked opponent in the school's expansive tennis history. The Bulldogs also concluded the year ranked nationally (No. 62) for the first time.
 
In the Bulldogs' most recent season, the team finished one game out of first place in the Southern Conference standings, posting a 6-1 record in conference play. Esmail was named the SoCon Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the season.
 
"The players have made this program very special, and I cannot thank them enough for not only the work and commitment they have put in to being successful leaders in the classroom and on the court, but also shaping what this program stands for," Esmail said. "Their blue-collar mentality, their commitment to improving on their 'product' day in and day out; I am extremely pleased and comforted to know what place this program is currently in. The group of young men that we have here are as good as it gets, and I am very confident in the future of this program. This place means the world to me, and I will always be a Bulldog."
 
Prior to coming to Samford, Esmail spent time as an assistant coach at both the University of Alabama and Eastern Kentucky University. He graduated from Fraser Valley High School of Distance Education in Vancouver, B.C., in 2000. Esmail is a 2005 graduate of the University of Kentucky with a bachelor of arts degree in French and international economics.
 
A national search for Samford's next head men's tennis coach will begin immediately.
 
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