I don’t write about myself that much. But this year I’m making some exceptions. The AC “A” Board announced that I’ll be inducted into the Austin College Hall of Honor in the summer of 2025. My sport is tennis, and Legends Weekend 2025 is igniting a bunch of Marc tennis stories. Here’s one:
In 1990, my 11-2 record at line #1 for Austin College earned me a spot on the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) 1stTeam. I shared All-Conference honors with Howard Payne’s #1, Morgen Walker; Walker was also my best win of the year. I’m proud of that win, though for a reason you might not expect.
My writing is frequently about coaches, who (as I like to say) work “investment banking hours without investment banking pay.” They do, however, get paid in the “bonus checks” that are the words from the student-athletes they impact. There are a lot of great coaches who fit this description; in the world of Texas high school tennis, Morgen Walker is one of those greats.
In 2002, Coach Walker took over the reins of Plano West tennis and built the Wolves into a Texas tennis powerhouse. Because of Walker, Plano West tennis is mentioned in the same breath as Highland Park, Round Rock Westwood, Houston Memorial, Austin Westlake, & Lake Travis. The results as of 2024 speak for themselves:
24 District titles in a row
20 State tournaments (3rd most in Texas tennis history)
6 State titles (4th most in Texas tennis history)
2021 was a banner year for Coach Walker. That fall, Walker notched career win #500. The accomplishment resulted in media recognition from Rick Renner and Bally Sports Southwest.
From Renner: “Call it the gentlemen’s game. And at Plano West, they have perfected it. The Wolves approach to tennis is with championship intent. Led by their ferocious Coach Morgen Walker, who is armed with the winning tradition and five state championships.”
From Walker’s players: “We’ve got a very good culture. We go out there, we always work hard. That obviously shows in our matches. We compete. Which is why we have such a great record. Because Coach is always on top of us making sure we’re giving great effort.”
From Walker: “When I came in that first year, I had some different ideas about how I wanted things done. And the kids to their credit have bought in from day one. They trust in what we are doing. The parents trust in what we are doing. They know that I want to win, but I want to win the right way.”
Coach Walker and the Wolves followed that win #500 in 2021 by earning yet another Texas state title in UIL Class 6A tennis. Plano West secured that championship with a victory against Lake Travis and Coach Carol Creel (a teammate of Marc on the 1986 A&M Consolidated HS tennis team that advanced to the UIL Class 4A State tournament).
From a 2021 article in BVM Sports:
“Friday’s state title also capped off a 17-match winning streak — a great way to end the season for [Coach Morgen] Walker, who won his 500th match not too long ago. ‘When I look back on my career, I truly believe one of the things I’ll be proud [of], in addition to working with all the kids and helping them become better people, is the fact we’ve been able to maintain this [level of play for so long],’ Walker said. ‘[But] it really is about the kids. I’m just along for the ride.’
Is Marc proud of beating Morgen Walker while playing for AC way back in 1990? Well, sure I suppose. But what I’m really proud of is sharing the TIAA All-Conference stage with a legendary tennis coach who has impacted the lives of youngsters over nearly a quarter century. Because it’s the coaches who leave the real legacies. Writer Marc giving a shout out before the 2025 AC Hall of Honor is just another well-deserved Morgen Walker “bonus check.”
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