Bill Tinder Years at Upstate: 4th

Bill Tinder is in his fifth season as director of basketball operations and assistant women's basketball coach at USC Upstate.

Previously, Tinder was an assistant women's basketball coach and director of basketball operations at Wofford College from 1999-2002. While with the Lady Terriers, the team consistently improved and the 2001-02 squad advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament and posted the most Division I wins in the history of the program.

During his tenure, Tinder coached and recruited Rika Harris, who was voted one of the 10 best players in school history. He also coached Wofford Athletic Hall of Famer Jenny Nett, the 2001-02 SoCon Player of the Year and the highest-scoring player in school history.

Among the myriad of jobs serving others throughout his life, Tinder served in the United States Army on active duty as a commissioned officer from 1961-86. He was commissioned in 1960 and in 1983 received his promotion to Full Colonel, the rank at which he retired from active duty. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War serving from 1967-68 during the Tet Offensive.

Tinder has a strong commitment to higher education. He served as an associate professor of business at Southern Wesleyan University, was the Faculty Coordinator and Campus Director at Webster University's campus in Greenville, and was professor of military science at Wofford and USC Upstate.

Tinder is active in the community, serving on the Board of Mental Health America of the Piedmont and Carolina Counseling.

Tinder is a graduate of Wofford with an B.A. degree in psychology. He was a four-year letterman as a guard on the basketball team. The 1959-60 squad recorded a single-season school best 25-6 record. The team made it to the Elite Eight in the NAIA Nationals. Wofford made it through the South Carolina/North Carolina Regional to make it to the Kansas City finals. A Dean's List student, he was also a member of the Westminster Fellowship for four years.

Tinder and his wife, Martha, were married on Aug. 5, 1961. The couple has two children, Brent and Kent, and four grandchildren. He is a native of Anderson and Muncie, Ind. Tinder was a member of the boys' basketball team at Muncie Central, the losing team in the Indiana State Championship game depicted in the movie "Hoosiers."

Tinder's wife, Martha, is a Ball State University, where she earned both Bachelor's and Master's of Arts in English. She authored two text books on English as a second language and retired as a high school German teacher. She is also active in the community, serving on the board of the New Day Club House.

Tinder's son, Brent, was a one-year basketball letterwinner at Wofford, and finished his undergraduate work and master's degree at Ball State. Kent has a degree in materials management from Greenville Tech.