Lonnie Isaac, a Hillsboro native, is a 1993 Bethel graduate. He was a three-year letter winner for the Threshers, and lettered one year at Tabor College where he played his sophomore season. Coach Isaac was the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference second doubles champion in 1992-93 and place second in the NAIA District 10 Tournament with partner Wayne Hodgson. Isaac played on three KCAC regular-season and post-season championship teams as a Bethel player. His career singles and doubles record at Bethel was 79-47. He was named the Team Leadership Award winner for the 1992-93 season. Coach Isaac was inducted into the Bethel College Booster Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 as a member of the 1989 men's team, which won the Thresher's first of 10 straight KCAC titles.
Isaac coached at Hillsboro High School from 1995 until 2001, sending 23 players to the Class 3-2-1A State Championships. He was the Class 3-2-1A Kansas Coaches Association Boys' Tennis Coach of the Year in 1999 and 3-2-1A Overall Coach of the Year in 2001. His 2001 boy's team finished sixth in the state. In the spring of 2001, he was named men's and women's coach at Tabor College, where he turned around the fortunes of that program. In 2003, Tabor won its first KCAC men's championship. The men qualified for the NAIA Region IV Tournament in 2002, 2003 and 2006. The Tabor women had their highest KCAC finish in 2006 also, finishing third in the regular season and second in the KCAC Post-season Tournament. The team qualified for the 2006 NAIA Region IV tournament. Under Isaac's tenure at Tabor, he coached 12 All-KCAC men and 16 All-KCAC women. He has coached 10 KCAC All-Academic men's selections and 11 All-Academic women. Seven men and nine women were named NAIA Academic All-Americans during his tenure. He also had the distinction of coaching the 2005 KCAC Women's Freshman of the Year and three KCAC Women's Scholar-Athletes of the year while at Tabor.
Coach Isaac returned to Bethel College as Head Coach in fall of 2006. Since his return the Bethel women's team has seen a return to prominence. They have won four straight KCAC Tournament Championships (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) and qualified for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 NAIA National Tennis Championships in Mobile, Ala. This past spring the women's team also won their 16th regular season KCAC Championship in school history. The men's team had two second place finishes and two third place finishes during this same time period. At Bethel, Isaac has coached 20 All-KCAC women and 12 All-KCAC men. He has also coached 17 KCAC All-Academic women's selections and 10 KCAC All-Academic men's selections. In addition nine women and four men have been named NAIA Academic All-Americans. Coach Isaac has also coached three KCAC Freshman of the Year and four KCAC Players of the Year, as well as two-time All-American, Paige McKinney. The 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 women's tennis teams were also recognized as NAIA All-America Scholar Teams. The 2009-10 team had the nation's 5th highest GPA of all the sports teams recognized by the NAIA.
Coach Isaac lives in Hesston with his wife, Tracy, and their three children, Tessa, Rhain and Logan.