Bio

Grant Longley was the head coach of tennis and a professor in the physical education department at Salem State College from 1969 to 1999. A native of Franklin MA, he resided in Swampscott during the three decades he spent serving Salem State College. Grant currently resides in Bridgton, Maine.

A graduate of Springfield College, Grant guided the SSC’s men’s tennis program to the 1973 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships in Kansas city. The 1973 national tournament appearance was a first for the College’s tennis program.

Grant led the Vikings back to the nationals in 1976 when the team traveled to Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi for the NCAA Division III championships. The 1976 squad won 20 out of 21 matches, the program’s best ever single year record. The following year Salem State College returned to Millsaps for the NCAA tournament where the Vikings placed 16^th in the 28^th school field.

Grant directed the women’s tennis program at the College from 1991 through 1998, coaching SSC in nearly 600 matches. He directed the men’s program to a record 11 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) titles, including eight of the first nine years of the championship was staged.

Grant, who retired as an associate professor in the College’s Sports Fitness and Leisure Studies major, compiled 361 victories as a tennis coach at Salem State College. He also coached the men’s varsity soccer program at Salem State College from 1971 through 1975. The Vikings challenged for the MASCAC crown each season.