Hall of Fame
Over his twenty-one year tenure as the leader, Steve Tappmeyer made his mark as one of the most successful head coaches in the history of Northwest Athletics. Coach Tapp’s teams were known around the country for their tough minded and hardworking style. Opponents knew the Bearcats were going to defend at a high level every game. His teams consisted of high character individuals and nearly every player in Coach Tapp’s program would earn their degree. He is the all-time leader in wins with 408 victories to his name, which is more than double the previous leader. He won seven MIAA Championships, three regular season titles and four conference tournament titles. During his tenure as head coach, Tapp made it to the NCAA Tournament ten times with two appearances ending in berths to the Elite Eight, first in 2002 and then again in 2004. During his career, the Bearcats had a stretch of 11 straight seasons with 19 or more wins and his teams surpassed 22 wins in 9 of his final 12 campaigns on the bench. He was a four time MIAA Coach of the year and the 2001 South Central Region Coach of the Year. His team had a record of 143 wins and only 25 losses at Bearcat Arena during his final 12 seasons. In addition, he also possesses the highest winning percentage of any head tennis coach at Northwest, with a career record of 1-0.