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Women’s tennis coach Sheila McInerney closes 40-year chapter at Arizona State

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Women’s tennis coach Sheila McInerney closes 40-year chapter at Arizona State

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Sheila McInerney can’t believe she’s even considering the ultimate sin for tennis players, but after closing a four-decade-long coaching career at Arizona State, she might consider doing it. 

“I don’t know if I’ll go into the dark side of pickleball yet because as a tennis player, that used to be a dirty word. A lot of my friends who have retired are playing pickleball,” McInerney said. 

McInerney’s long days on the tennis court will be few and far between now that she decided to retire after leading ASU’s women’s program since 1984. Her tenure includes navigating the program through the beginnings of Title IX to competing with the powerhouses of the West Coast.  

“I’ll miss (coaching) for sure, but I think for me, it’s sort of the perfect time,” McInerney said. “Forty years here and it’s closer to the seventh decade of life, I’m 66. Transitioning into the Big 12 is almost a good time to have somebody else do that.” 

McInerney spent 40 years at the helm of ASU women’s tennis, achieving a 589-350 record and 35 straight NCAA appearances while coaching 49 All-Americans. The program has already prepared for the transition to the Big 12 and named Jamea Jackson as the next head coach in early June. 

A remarkable history 

In a field filled with coaching changes, ASU found a rarity with women’s tennis. Longevity has defined ASU women’s tennis as its last two coaches have coached for 30 or more years, including McInerney’s predecessor, Dr. Anne Pittman (1954-1984).  

McInerney herself never thought of staying at ASU for long. McInerney spent a year as an assistant coach at her alma mater, USC, and applied for the ASU position hoping it would be a resume builder for USC’s head coaching job when Dave Borelli retired. 

But McInerney got acclimated to what was once an unfamiliar place in Tempe and bonded with her staff and athletic department. Rather than being the youngest coach in the room, the 25-year-old McInerney worked with a younger, energetic staff. 

“When I first got here, it was already an older team so I inherited mostly juniors and seniors,” McInerney said. “Right after that, I had five freshmen and recruited them. We did quite well that year and you like the kids a lot and it was hard to leave. I think it was one of those things where once you get your own program, you’re like, I’m enjoying this and it doesn’t matter where I’m at.” 

The landscape of women’s sports was evolving at the time, but there were still some programs that were behind. However, ASU didn’t have that issue for McInerney. When she was hired by associate athletic director Mona Plummer, she knew she would be in good hands. 

“We had eight full scholarships right off the bat when I joined. A lot of schools didn’t,” McInerney said. “The Dukes and the Michigans of the world didn’t. A lot of Pac-12 schools did, but around the country, there weren’t a lot of schools that had the full complement of scholarships, which was fantastic.” 

Champagne problems 

Up until 2008, you would’ve seen a champagne bottle in McInerney’s office from an ASU alumnus. The bottle’s purpose was motivation for when the Sun Devils finally defeated perennial national champion and conference opponent, Stanford. 

McInerney went 24 years without beating Stanford and would joke about wanting to open the bottle ahead of their matches.  

Laila Abdala, a player from 2005-09, was among the lucky ones who saw the bottle finally open. And at that match on March 28, 2008, a special guest was in the crowd. 

“I don’t know if it was coincidence or part of life, but that day, the lady was there at our Stanford match and we ended up beating them 4-3,” Abdala said. “It was a super special moment for ASU tennis and for me particularly. It was one of the most memorable matches I played.” 

The drought ended, but the champagne went untasted. 

“I don’t think she got to try the champagne because it ended up splashing everywhere,” Abdala said. “But at least she got to open it.” 

A sister, mother, and grandmother 

Over four decades, McInerney’s role has transformed with her players, but her trusted mentorship never changed. 

“She always knew what was going to happen, there were never surprises,” Abdala said. “She really taught me how to play tennis strategically. You can hit the ball, but sometimes you don’t know where to put the ball or why you’re putting it there. She really was the one who told me the strategy behind tennis.”  

Laila’s close relationship with McInerney was one of the deciding factors for her sister, Nadia, to later join the program. Both benefited from McInerney’s trusted advice outside of tennis during their formative years and found a motherly figure. 

McInerney’s legacy includes a wide coaching web she helped create through her tenure at ASU. McInerney estimates around three-quarters of the collegiate coaches were recruited by her. Like many former players, the Abdala sisters were inspired by McInerney to be coaches and have used her lessons with their players.  

“To see them as young moms and they’re very successful in whatever they’re doing, it’s very rewarding,” McInerney said. “I was sort of their older sister and then I became their mom and I’m almost the age of their grandparents now. I’ve done the cycle, I guess.” 

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