Entering his 22nd year at UW-Oshkosh, Steve Francour has built a lasting legacy with the men’s and women’s tennis programs.

Under Francour’s tutelage, the men’s team owns a 223-212 record and the women’s squad holds a mark of 138-130. On the women’s side, Francour has guided the Titans to three runner-up finishes, one third-place result and eight fourth-place marks in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). He received the league’s Coach of the Year honor in 2011 after the UW-Oshkosh women notched a 9-8 record.

The 2000 women's team set a school standard with 14 wins on its way to a 4-2 mark in the WIAC. Francour has coached seven conference singles champions, four doubles champions and three WIAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners. The Titans have also had 35 players named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Scholar Athlete Team.

UW-Oshkosh competes as an independent for men’s tennis. Francour guided the squad to the NCAA Division III Championship in 1996, 1997 and 2001. The Titans posted 10 consecutive winning seasons from 1994-2003.

Francour’s men have recorded double-digit victories 14 times, including 16 during 2001 and 15 in 1995. Academically, UW-Oshkosh has had 30 players selected to the ITA All-Academic Team, including four-time honoree Seth Breunig (2006-09).

Francour obtained a degree in sports management from UW-Oshkosh in 1988 and his master’s degree in sports administration from Baylor University (Texas) in 1989.

Besides his duties at UW-Oshkosh, Francour has been the head tennis professional at the Oshkosh Country Club since 1993 and at the Butte Des Morts Country Club since 2008. He has also been the director of tennis at the Oshkosh YMCA Tennis Center since 1998 and was a physical education instructor at UW-Oshkosh from 1993-1998.

Francour is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and was the USTA Specialist in Competitive Player Development during 2002.

Francour resides in Oshkosh with his wife, Patty, and son, Cade.

(Written August 1, 2011)