Stanford men’s tennis head coach John Whitlinger announced his retirement from his position on Thursday after 10 seasons at the helm of the program.

After he took the reins of the program in 2005 following the retirement of Dick Gould, the Cardinal compiled a 160-85 overall record and reached the NCAA tournament in nine seasons, including in seven consecutive years from 2008-2014.

“Being able to coach at a place you’ve played is really a dream come true,” Whitlinger told GoStanford.com. “It’s been a great ride and I want to thank everyone that’s been a part of it, especially the players and coaches I’ve worked with over the years. It’s been an honor to coach at such an outstanding university and athletic program and while it’s difficult to step away, I’m looking forward to new beginnings.”

Before he was elevated to the head coaching post, Whitlinger had been the associate head coach for 18 seasons, a period in which the Cardinal won nine NCAA titles. In addition, he had previously spent his collegiate playing career at Stanford, where he was awarded All-America honors in both 1974 and 1975. In that 1974 season, he was key to the Cardinal’s success, as he led the team to an NCAA title while also winning both the singles and doubles national titles.

“John has been an integral part of our tennis family for more than 40 years and we have benefited from his accomplishments as an NCAA champion student-athlete and coach,” athletic director Bernard Muir told GoStanford. “We appreciate his service over these past 10 years as our head coach and wish him luck in this next chapter of life.”