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| Jerry & Jean Hoxie Hamtramck |
Milton (Mickey) Johnson Marquette |
Joseph Moran Holland |
Charles Partin East Grand Rapids |
Harley Peirce Sturgis |
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| George Purdy Saginaw Arthur Hill |
Nancy Ryan Bloomfield Hills Kingswood |
Fielding (Tim) Tambling Monroe |
Dwayne (Tiger) Tuesink Holland |
Bob Wood Univeristy Liggett |
(click on Inductee's name to read 'description')
If asked to name the dominating force in Michigan tennis history, any person even remotely aware of our sport would undoubtedly arrive at the names of Jean and Jerry Hoxie. Indeed, the list of state and national junior champions produced from that most unlikely location, Hamtramck, is a testament to the true greatness of what these two astonishing people achieved.
The Hoxies developed 16 singles champions in Class A and 13 doubles teams which won the state titles for the Cosmos. They had a phenomenal 18 boys state championships between 1949 and 1969 in high school competition. Some of the great players to come out of their program were Fred Kovaleski, Al Hetseck, Ted Jax, Ken Angyal, Dick Potter, Bill Petrick, Jerry Dubie, George Korol, Pacho Castillo, Ray Senkowski, Chuck Brainard, John Lamerato and Tony Lamerato. Some girls who emerged to win national honors included Stephanie Prychitko, Elaine Lewicki, Joyce Pniewski and Peaches Bartkowicz.
Jean Hoxie was a notorious disciplinarian with a tough and gruff personality who took tough little kids off the street and within a week or two made them into different people on a tennis court. Jean was the force behind the program, but her sensitive husband was truly the rudder of the ship. He helped to encourage the feeling of the Hamtramck family, promoting the older champions to return to Veterans Memorial Park to teach the younger hopefuls. He had the unique ability to pick out definite potential in a young player and nurture it with his good psychology to give the overall program true credibility. Jeans indomitable spirit paved the way for financing the trips, scheduling the best of competition, and giving their players national exposure.
Jean Hoxie was enshrined into the Michigan Hall of Fame in 1965 at a celebrated luncheon in Detroit. Her picture now hangs among the sports greats in Cobo Hall. In September, 1966, approximately 850 friends and admirers attended a gala 45th anniversary banquet for the Hoxies. It could not have come at a better time for them, because within 13 months Jerry passed away due to a stroke. Jean died 2 years later in 1970.
No hall of fame is complete without the inclusion of the irrepressible Mickey Johnson, who is without question the single greatest force in Upper Peninsula high school tennis. This remarkable octogenarian (82 this year), who has been coaching since 1940, has won an incomprehensible 435 boys dual matches against a minuscule 49 losses. His 31 boys state championships in the U.P. comprise a record that is not to be broken for years to come, if ever. His numbers as a coach of the girls team are not quite as the boys statistics, yet virtually every coach in the state would trade for them. In his 13 seasons as the girls coach they have garnered 132 wins with 26 losses including six state titles in Class AB. This delightful and energetic gentleman is no stranger to honors even though he speaks with great modesty concerning them. In 1976 he was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame with many other greats, and just last summer Northern Michigan University in Marquette paid homage to Johnson by its inducting him into their own Hall of Fame. Mickeys biggest award came last fall when he was installed by the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Tonights honor will be Mickeys third such installation in less than 15 months, which must be some sort of record. Sports Illustrated also saluted his great winning record in its Faces in the Crowd column in l981. Even though Johnson retired from teaching several years ago, not only has he kept the two tennis teams at the high school, but he also has continued running his summer clinics in Marquette. He directed the Recreational Program for tennis from 1951 to 1982 and conducted his NMU tennis camps for ten years. Mickey Johnson has been dedicated to both the game of tennis and to people themselves. Enjoyment of the game has always been a hallmark for anyone who has ever been instructed by the amazing man--something we all should never forget.
Atlanta had Hank Aaron, Detroit had Al Kaline, New York had Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays, but Holland has Joe Moran. Morans outstanding work in Recreational and physical education in Holland was incorporated into his great high school teams for 30 years. Joe Moran coached Holland High School from 1934 to 1964, setting a firm foundation for that strong program that resulted in a great 350-50 dual match record. During that time his teams once gained 22 straight regional titles and had a won 64 consecutive dual matches. The Dutch won several runnerup trophies mostly behind the great Hoxie coached teams of the 50's and the 60's. Moran was active in summer recreational programs which brought in many Western Michigan trophies and several state titles in junior play. In fact, during one year he coached eleven different players who were ranked in the Westerns. His own son, Dave Moran, was also a nationally ranked player for his father and later starred at Kalamazoo College. At one time four of Joes former high school stars were all captains of their respective college teams: Bob Teall at the Naval Academy, Jack Damson at Michigan State University, Red Wiersma at Western Michigan University, and Bill Japinga at Kalamazoo College. Joe is one of the many fine people who have established and promoted tennis, a minor sport in most communities during those early years, and guided its growth. As commonly known throughout the state, Holland is now a center for tennis with one of the finest facilities in the state, which is named after him. This was primarily fostered by Moran and others who caught the same vision that Joe had. Joes prowess is not limited to tennis. Through the years he had built a recreational program in Holland that is still the envy of other communities. Joe is another of your basic people-oriented people helping others.
Since 1961 when he was selected as the assistant tennis coach and then from 1965 when he became the boys varsity head coach, Charles Partin has always been synonymous with winning teams and championship clubs. It is amazing how many great players have emerged from the East Grand Rapids program in both the boys and the girls teams year in and year out. It is true that Partin has inherited many of them from the local clubs, but he has been able to groom them all to become dedicated team players who have brought some excellent statistics for the Pioneers. With the boys he has gained some 325 dual match wins against only 22 losses in his 21 seasons as head coach. They have won 21 regional crowns and have copped eight state titles. Luke Jensen, Murphy Jensen, Paul Pursley, Tim Jacobsen and Steve Winsor are some more recent big names who have graced the East Grand Rapids courts, each performing brilliantly in the Westerns and in the Nationals in Kalamazoo. During his 13 years with the girls Charlie has garnered a tremendous 170-18 win-lost record which is almost unmatched in high school tennis in Michigan. Along the way they have picked up 12 regional wins and three state championships, winning two of them in 1984 and 1985, and hoping for a third straight this coming fall. Serving as the first president of our association for our first two years and presently serving as our historian, Charlie has been an extremely faithful member of the MHSTeCA since its very inception in 1976. In 1979 he was named by his peers as both the girls and boys Coach of the Year and was our Midwest representative as the Coach of the Year for the NHSACA. This past year Partin was the runner-up in Orlando, Florida, for the National Coach of the Year. Always a proponent of good Christian fellowship as his teams compete, Charles Partin is renowned for his great character and sense of high ethics, a model for us all.
After he graduated from Kalamazoo College where he starred in several sports, Harley Pierce coached starting in 1952 in places as disparate as Plainwell, Casa Grande, Arizona, Zeeland and, of course, Sturgis. In that south Michigan community his name has become a household name in that he has been there since 1966, after having spent six years prior to his return to Sturgis. In Michigan his boys have compiled a record of 386 wins and 69 losses on their way to winning 23 regional crowns and seven state championships in Class B. His Trojans have also copped 22 conference crowns in their tough Twin Valley Athletic Association. Several of his past players have done very well on the college level and are presently lawyers, doctors, teachers and even tennis coaches. Two of the Mid-America Conference coaches are Pierce trained men--at Eastern Michigan University Dan Ryan heads the men's varsity and at Ball State University Bill Richards is the successful mentor. Both have adapted Harleys concepts into their high level of coaching. A major reason that Sturgis has had great teams these many years is that Pierce has been the summer tennis director for the past 30 years. Many youngsters have begun their training with Harley in the summer and have developed their game through hard work and much tutelage of Coach Pierce. These types of players have brought much success to the Sturgis program. In addition, Harley has always enjoyed the summer months with the players to getting to know them better and to improve their game. Honors are not uncommon to Pierce. He has been installed into the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame; he was the MHSTeCA Class B Coach of the Year in 1978; and in 1979 he was chosen the National Coach of the Year by the NHSACA. However, he treasures most of all the academic year of 1969-70 when both his football team was given the Class B state championship and then his tennis team earned the state title that following spring. A rare feat for a great coach!
From the Saginaw Bay of our state comes our Hall of Famer George Purdy, who established tennis as a viable force in his area for over three decades ranging from 1950 to 1976. During these 26 years of service to the game, George developed many players in his summer programs in the parks who then competed on a state and Midwest level. Naturally, they enhanced his high school teams at Arthur Hill which earned 198 wins and 95 losses indicating their impact in the Bay Area and in their conference His seven regional titles and several league crowns attest to his great influence As with many other coaches, Purdy achieved this high level of success through diligent work during the summer months. He supervised for the City of Saginaw Recreation Department the summer tennis program for some 20 years. George has served as the president of the Saginaw Tennis Association for the past three years and he was recently honored in a gala retirement banquet by his former team members, friends and associates in town. This honor certainly exemplified his concern for people and their involvement in our great sport. George is now enjoying retirement with his good wife, Hariett in Saginaw. It reflects fondly of his many delightful years that he spent with teaching tennis with the many wonderful people whom he met. To him we say thank you for giving of yourself to others so selfishly and with a great spirit.
If Nancy Ryan would not have moved to Minnesota two years ago, she would have been our present president. A charter member of our association, she was a board member from the second year of our existence to 1984, serving as the Second Vice-President and the First Vice-President for the last four years with us. A highly successful coach at Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Nancy coach there from 1951 to 1954 and then again from 1968 to 1984 when she served as varsity coach as well as the athletic director. Her tennis teams compiled a great 172-20 record, 12 out of 12 regional crowns, two state runner-up trophies and seven state championships in Class B competition. One year her girls won all seven flights in the finals to totally sweep the tournament for Kingswood She has coached 57 high school singles and doubles flight state champions while in our state. Many of her girls have gone on to play college tennis at such competitive schools as Duke, Smith, Tulane, Colgate, Dartmouth, Yale, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, and Clemson. Nancy takes prides in mentioning that sixteen of her team players have taken jobs working with youngsters during the summer seasons, certainly an true extension of her personality and dedication. While in the suburban Detroit area, Nancy served as the Southeast Michigan Junior Wightman Cup Coach for three different summers, ran good summer tennis programs in Livonia, conducted clinics and served on the tennis committee for four years. Ryan has been named Coach of the Year on nine different occasions by different groups. The MHSTeCA selected her as their Coach of the Year in l979 and again in 1982. We presented her with the Distinguished Service Award in 1984 to express our since appreciation for her great efforts to our association. Nancy now teaches and coaches at Breck School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In a community that has had only three tennis coaches since 1929, Tim Tambling established a solid tradition of tennis quality and enthusiasm, perhaps best exemplified by Monroe High Schools most famous alumnus, Vic Braden, that effervescent personality of tennis and television sportscasting. The same excitement for the game that Tim pioneered in Monroe has continued at the high school with his successors, the late Larry Alto and the present coach, Ward Olson. It is also true in the parochial schools where Stan Noland is coaching today. From 1929 to 1953 Tambling amassed a dual match record of 243 win against only 45 losses indicating the Trojans dominance in Southeastern Michigan at that time. During these years his teams set some truly incredible records. For instance, from 1932 to 1941, his won loss record was 104-7. His teams put together winning streaks of 38, 31 and 30 matches during his tenure. In addition, they succeeded in producing shutout streaks of 12, 10 and 10 matches against their opponents. In his last three years of his coaching career, he peaked out with a formidable 40-2 marker. Tim's four state championships in 34, 35, 39 and 47 culminated with Vic Bradens third straight individual singles title at Kalamazoo in 1947. Other great winners for Tambling were brother Dan Braden and Dean Pinchoff, both teaching professionals today. All together there were six singles champions and four doubles teams that won Class titles. Probably the greatest of all of Tims contributions to the community of Monroe was his establishing the Michigan Tennis Center Program during the mid 40's, which furthered tennis into a viable force even up until today. Tamblings heritage still lives in Monroe. It is safe to say that if any high school awards had been given during his era, Tim Tambling would have received them all.
Anyone who has had contact with Tiger during his tenure as coach, first at Jackson High School from 1963-1972, and from then on as the excellent boys and girls coach at Holland High School, knows him to be efficient, very fair, competitive, well organized, and very professional in all that he does. His record over his 23 years of coaching high school tennis is impressive enough: 128 and 69 in boys competition and 143 and 47 with the girls for a combined total of 271 and 116. This includes five regional wins a a solid 4th place in state play in 1981. With the girls he has won six regionals and a runner-up trophy in the states finals in 1976. However, aside from his excellent court work with his well-disciplined and well-trained teams, what has made Tiger so special is his seemingly enflagging energy and devotion to tennis. This is exhibited by his very active involvement in the Western Michigan Tennis Association and the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. The positions that he has held and the duties fulfilled have been too numerous to chronicle here. Indeed, they fill up an entire page. A sampling includes Director of Holland City Summer Recreational Program, First Vice-President in charge of Sanctions and Scheduling, MHSAA Rules Committee, Seeding Committee, Team Concept Committee, Regional and State Tournament Manager several times, and the representative to the state coaches association. Tiger Teusink served three significant years as our organization's president and presently is our very capable secretary-treasurer. Tonights event is a result to a great degree of the personal efforts of Tiger, who greatly enjoys serving his fellowman, a true exhorter. His fellow MHSTeCA members chose him as the girls Coach of the Year in 1984 and for the boys in 1981. He was also our representative as the Coach of the Year in the NHSACA two years ago. Many of us can testify to his thoroughness, diligence, and excellence that Tiger has brought to all of these duties. Many thanks, Tiger!
It may be debatable that Bob Wood is the most successful tennis coach in Michigan high school tennis history, but few people would argue that he has had more of an impact on our sport than any other single individual who has ever coached tennis in this state. He founded our organization and did virtually everything for the first five years of its existence: this included doing the newsletter, compiling the rankings, establishing the seeding committee procedure, and making the arrangements for the annual and now semi-annual Board of Directors meetings. However, most coaches, when Bob's name is mentioned, think of him as the organizer and implementer of those highly successful winter tennis workshops that have constantly drawn the third largest crowds in the country around internationally recognized celebrities such as Vic Braden, Chris Evert-Lloyd, Peter Burwash, Arthur Ashe, and Pam Shriver. It is consistently noted among his peers that Bob has been the driving force behind much of the improvement and innovation in Michigan high school tennis during the past decade. The point penalty system, the team concept in state tournament play, certain rules changes, the All-State teams, and the coach of the year awards have been just a few of Bobs creative ideas that are now part of the tennis scene in high school play. Of Woods 21 years as coach at University Liggett in Grosse Pointe Woods his teams have won 17 state titles and only once have they not won their regional. His 13 consecutive state championships in Class C-D is a national record. in 1977 the MHSTeCA gave him their Coach of the Year honor, and then he was named the Regional Coach of the Year in the Midwest. In 1981 he was selected the National Coach of the Year by NHSACA. This past June Bob was installed as president of the NHSACA for this coming academic year, which will involve him with athletics throughout the nation. Bob Wood, coach, leader and friend, is truly a legend in his own time.