In his 32 seasons as head coach of the UC San Diego men's golf team, Mike Wydra has built a program that has achieved tremendous success and national acclaim at both the NCAA Division II and III levels. His teams have qualified for the NCAA Championships a total of 21 times since he began coaching the Tritons in 1980, and in 1993, he led the Tritons to the D-III national title on their home course at nearby Torrey Pines.

UCSD has finished second at the national championships five times during Wydra's tenure and captured national third-place honors on two occasions. The Tritons last qualified for the National Championships in 2004, finishing 15th overall in the final team standings.

Wydra has also guided several Tritons to success as individuals, including Pat Weishan, who captured to national title in 1987.

During the 2011-12 season, Wydra led the Tritons to several high finishes, including eight top-10 team finishes and five top-five showings. UCSD earned its best finish at the FLC Skyhawk Desert Shootout, where the Tritons placed second overall and were led by freshman Jay Lim's final-round score of -2, 70. With a final score of +11, 227, Lim finished in a tie for fourth overall. After placing third at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in Paso Robles on the strength of top-10 finishes from Lim and sophomore Jacob Williams, the Tritons advanced to the NCAA D-II Central/West Regional in Litchfield Park, Ariz. for the first time in five years. UCSD finished 14th out of 20 teams and was led by freshman Marc Herrmann, who tied for 29th overall after shooting a +8, 224 for the tournament. Herrmann and Williams both had a team-best even-par in the second round.

Since taking over the UCSD golf program, Wydra has led the Tritons to top-five national finishes 13 times. He has produced a total of 54 All-Americans and 27 Tritons have gone on to play professionally. He was named the Far West Coach of the Year every year from 1990 through 1999 and, in 1993, he was selected as the Bridgestone NCAA Division III Coach of the Year.

Wydra, a graduate of UCSD and former standout on the golf team, is well known in San Diego golf circles for his playing, teaching and coaching credentials. As a collegiate player, he carded the low round (68) at the NAIA National Championships in 1973 and posted a second-place finish at the Southern California Intercollegiate Championship at Torrey Pines in 1975.

Wydra has an impressive resume as an amateur player as well, contributing to a team victory at the 1971 Junior America Cup in Mexico City. In 1975, he became the youngest player ever to capture the Torrey Pines Club Championship and he was the highest-finishing amateur at the San Diego County Open in 1977. He also reached the quarterfinals at the California State Amateur Championships at Pebble Beach in 1977 and 1978.

Wydra's professional career was highlighted by an individual championship at the 1980 San Diego County Open. He also captured five Golden State mini-tour titles and advanced to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open Championships a total of three times. In 1981, he attempted to qualify for the PGA Tour, finishing eighth at the Western Regional and missing his tour card by five strokes.

In addition to his coaching duties, Wydra is well known as a teaching professional and has served as director of the Nike Junior Resident Golf Camp since 1995. Since taking over, he has built the camp into one of Nike's most popular and successful summer programs.

On Dec. 5, 2011, Wydra was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Hall of Fame.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Wydra earned a BA in Psychology from UC San Diego in 1975. He resides in San Diego with his wife Terrilee and together they have raised three daughters named Nicole, Ashley and Lauren.