The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of legendary coach Andy Brandi, who served as the women’s tennis head coach at the University of Florida (1985-2001) and men’s tennis co-head coach at Louisiana State University (2017-2022).
“Andy Brandi was a giant among tennis coaches and a wonderful human being,” said ITA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Timothy Russell. “His developmental prowess as a teacher was celebrated throughout his distinguished career, and his genuine fondness for people as a mentor and friend will be remembered by all who knew him.”
During his time as the women’s head coach at Florida, Brandi transformed the program into a national powerhouse, leading the Gators to three NCAA National titles (1992, 1996, 1998) and six ITA National Team Indoor Championship titles (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999). He guided Florida to 14 SEC Conference titles and six undefeated regular seasons (1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998). In addition to his three NCAA national titles, his teams finished as national runners-up five times and never finished lower than second in the SEC regular season standings.
Under Brandi’s helm, the Gators never lost an SEC match at home, winning all 103 dual matches against league opponents. Dropping only three regular-season league matches, Brandi finished with an extraordinary 196-6 all-time record against SEC opponents.
Brandi announced his resignation as the head coach at Florida in 2001 after a brilliant 17 seasons. Brandi ended his time in Gainesville with a 460-43 record (.915), the all-time highest winning percentage among college coaches who have coached a minimum of five years.
In September 1996 and 1998, Brandi earned Coach of the Year honors from the United States Professional Tennis Registry, recognizing teaching excellence in the sport of tennis. In 1989 and 1996, Brandi was voted the Wilson ITA National Coach of the Year. He was awarded Coach of the Year for the region in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995 and 1996, and SEC in 1987, 1988, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Brandi was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in 2006 and the ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.
After leaving the University of Florida, Brandi worked for IMG Bollettieri Academy, the Chris Evert Tennis Academy, and the Harold Solomon Tennis Institute. Later, he served on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Player Development staff as a national coach.
Brandi joined the LSU men’s program in 2017 as co-head coach along with his son Chris. In his first season with the Tigers, Brandi led the team to 10 overall wins and in his second season, 16 overall wins, with the team reaching No. 20 in the NCAA rankings.
Brandi earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1975 from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. While at Trinity, Brandi played collegiate tennis and afterwards, established himself on the pro circuit before finding his passion in coaching. Brandi would go on to coach top 10 WTA players such as Kathy Rinaldi and Carling Bassett, as well as other professionals such as Elena Dementievea, Shahar Peer, Maria Kirilenko, and Lisa Raymond, before turning his sights to collegiate coaching.
Brandi leaves behind an extraordinary legacy and will be greatly missed by many for generations to come.
