THE TYNDALL FILE

ALMA MATER/YEAR:  Morehead State University, 1993 EXPERIENCE: Morehead State, Head Coach - 2006-Current Middle Tennesse State, Associate Head Coach - 2002-06 Idaho, Associate Head Coach - 2001-02 LSU, Assistant Coach - 1997-2001 St. Catharine College, Head Coach - 1996-97 Iowa Central Community College, Assistant Coach - 1994-96

Donnie Tyndall is in his sixth season as the head men’s basketball coach at Morehead State and his seventh year in charge of a college basketball program.  Tyndall enters the year with a 126-75 overall record (.627), including a 96-70 mark (.578) at MSU.

Morehead State has improved in each of Tyndall’s five seasons at the helm.  The Eagles went 12-18 (.400) in 2006-07, 15-15 (.500) in 2007-08, 20-16 (.556) in 2008-09, 24-11 (.686) in 2009-10 and 25-10 (.714) in 2010-11. 

Under Tyndall’s watch, Morehead State has won 20+ games in each of the last three seasons after reaching the 20-win plateau just twice during the program’s first 79 years.

Tyndall has led the Eagles to two Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in the past three years (2009 & 2011).  Last year, MSU finished 25-10 overall, 14-1 at home, 13-5 in the OVC and upset Louisville in the NCAA’s round of 64.  The 25 victories were the best in program history.

Two of Tyndall’s 2010-11 graduates went on to sign professional contracts.  Kenneth Faried, a two-time OVC Player of the Year and the NCAA’s all-time leading rebounder, was taken 22nd overall by the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.  Demonte Harper went on to play for KK Cibona VIP Zagreb in Croatia's top pro league.

With Tyndall leading the way, Morehead State defeated Colorado State in the 2010 College Basketball Invitational Tournament.  One season prior, the Eagles qualified for their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1984.  MSU’s victory over Alabama State that year marked the OVC’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 1989.

Tyndall was named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2007-08 after helping the Eagles to a three-game improvement from the previous season.  MSU was picked 10th in the OVC’s preseason poll, but finished third.

Tyndall’s first Morehead State team tripled the win total from the previous year.  The 2006-07 Eagles were picked 11th in the OVC, but finished seventh.

Tyndall enters the campaign 60-32 (.652) in Ohio Valley Conference games and 60-15 (.800) at Johnson Arena.

Well respected both in the Morehead community and within the college coaching ranks, Tyndall was recently named one of the Top 10 “Under the Radar” coaches by Athlon Sports.  He also served as co-chair for the MSU Capital Campaign in 2009 and was a Top 20 finalist for Kentucky’s Sportsman of the Year that same year.

The 41-year-old Tyndall is a 1993 Morehead State graduate.  He is the 12th head coach in program history.

“In conducting a national search and speaking with literally hundreds of people, it became apparent that someone with a commitment to recruiting high level student-athletes, a passion for the game and certainly a fondness for Morehead State would emerge as our new head men’s basketball coach,” MSU Athletic Director Brian Hutchinson said when Tyndall was hired.  “Donnie has all the requisite experience, having been a Division I assistant for nearly 10 years.  We feel like he is absolutely the right person to lead this program into prominence regionally and nationally.”

Prior to becoming the head coach at Morehead State, Tyndall served at Iowa Central Community College (assistant coach, 1993-96), St. Catharine College (head coach, 1996-97), LSU (assistant coach, 1997-2001), Idaho (associate head coach, 2001-02) and Middle Tennessee State (associate head coach, 2002-06).

At Middle Tennessee State, Tyndall teamed with Kermit Davis to lead the Blue Raiders to 17 wins per campaign and four consecutive winning seasons.  He directed MTSU’s recruiting efforts, which resulted in two classes being ranked in the nation’s top 25.

“Hoop Scoop” ranked Tyndall’s 2003 class 23rd and 2004 class 11th.  Each class was selected as the No. 1 class in the Sun Belt Conference by that publication.

While many of his responsibilities centered around recruiting, Tyndall also played instrumental roles in academic monitoring, practice/game preparation and coordinating scouting reports.

While at Idaho, Tyndall helped the Vandals land the nation’s No. 15 recruiting class in 2002.

During his tenure at LSU, Tyndall helped recruit three classes that were ranked among the top 25 nationally.  In 2000, LSU won the Southeastern Conference and advanced to the Sweet 16.  Three of his recruits went on to play in the NBA, five earned All-SEC honors and five were named Academic All-SEC.  As the Tigers’ academic coordinator, he helped improve the basketball team’s grade point average from 1.7 in 1996 to 2.7 in 2001.

During his one season at St. Catharine, Tyndall led the team to a school record 30-5 mark and the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament for the first time in school history.  Tyndall was named the Kentucky-Tennessee Junior College Coach of the Year and the top coach in Region VII.

Illustrating his emphasis on academic achievement, the team’s grade point average improved from 1.81 to 2.64, and all six of the sophomores on the squad earned associate degrees.

As an assistant coach at Iowa Central, he had on-floor coaching and recruiting duties, plus organized and supervised the team’s strength and conditioning program.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Mich., Tyndall played at Northview High School, then one season at Iowa Central (1989-90).  He was a member of three Eagle teams (1990-93), then played with Athletes in Action after his MSU career.

Tyndall earned a bachelor’s degree from Morehead State and master’s degree from LSU.  He has two daughters, Taylor Elise and Grace Elizabeth.