Tampa Prep's Coach Joe Fenlon was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Hall of Fame after becoming the Tampa Bay area’s all-time winningest boys basketball coach.
Born in Chicago, Fenlon arrived at Tampa Prep in 1983 and began as the head boys basketball coach. In the 36 seasons since, the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse graduate has compiled nearly 800 career wins. In 2012, Fenlon led the Terrapins to their first state championship in boys basketball. He also coached in a state championship game four additional times and made nine appearances in the FHSAA Final Four. On the local level, Fenlon captured 18 district championships and nine consecutive Bay Conference titles. Of the 18 district titles, 11 were consecutive. In 2010, Tampa Prep named the School's basketball court after him.
Fenlon has mentored more than 40 former student-athletes who have gone on to play collegiate basketball, two of whom were on National Championship teams: Casey Sanders at Duke in 2001 and Andrew Kouwe with Syracuse in 2003. Of the 40, six of them eventually played professional basketball.
In his quest to improve the game statewide, Fenlon:
- served as the director of boys basketball for the Florida Athletic Coaches Association
- volunteered on the FHSAA Basketball Advisory Committee
- was a district representative for the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches
- was president of the Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association.
- donated his wealth of knowledge as a color commentator for the Florida High School Basketball State Championships.
Additionally, he was chosen as:
- Tampa Tribune Coach of the Decade in the 90s
- 1999 FHSAA Coach of the Year
- 2014 USA Today National Runner-up for High School Coach of the Year
- 2016 Florida Association of Basketball Coaches "Court of Legends" (induction)
- 2017 National High School Athletic Coaches Association Basketball Coach of the Year (finalist)
- Coach of the Year seven times by the Tampa Tribune and Tampa Bay Times.
- one of the Top 50 Coaches in Tampa Bay History by the Tampa Bay Times.
We are so proud of you, Coach!
2019 FHSAA Hall of Fame Inductees
Coach Fenlon (center) with his wife Cindy, daughter Mychael, son Conner and Devontae Morgan '12
Coach Fenlon and family members after the induction ceremony
