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:
American men’s tennis has struggled over the past two decades, an era dominated by the “Big Three” (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic). But that struggle might be coming to an end. Two of America’s best face each other in today’s US Open semifinal. And the favorite in that semifinal match has already been mentioned as perhaps the next World #1: Taylor Fritz.
Taylor Fritz comes from a tennis playing family. His mother Kathy and father Guy are both former professionals. But it is Taylor’s Uncle (and former coach) Harry Fritz who has gained most of my interest. Harry Fritz and I once had a common tennis goal: Rockhill Tennis Club in Kansas City, MO.
Rockhill Tennis Club in Kansas City has hosted the NAIA National Tennis Championship since World War II. To qualify for Kansas City, NAIA tennis players must win 1 of 32 NAIA District Tournaments held around the country. For me in 1990, that district was NAIA District #8.
The one tennis goal that eluded me in 1990 was a trip to Rockhill Tennis Club. The 2 losses in my 11-2 record at AC’s line #1 that year were both to the same guy: Tarleton’s #1. After advancing three rounds in the NAIA District 8 tournament, I lost to Tarleton’s #1 in the semifinals. I then watched him win the tournament, earning the trip to Kansas City.
After a 1991 study abroad in Spain, I returned for my senior year in 1992 with plans to check that last remaining item off my AC tennis list: a berth in the NAIA tournament at Rockhill. Rustiness and a good crop of new players meant that the goal would be a challenge. But I was gonna give it the ol’ college try.
That was, until I had “the conversation” with AC Alumni Board member Wayne Whitmire.
Wayne, our fraternity president, was tasked with running pledgeship in 1992. Family matters, however, forced Wayne to graduate early. A straw poll was held, and Wayne informed me at Hughey Gym that the fraternity wanted me to take his place. Suddenly, I had a choice. Give Rockhill a go? Or help out my pledge bro? If you know anything about what my fellas mean to me, you know what I chose.
And so, to this day, I associate my tennis career with two bookends: 1980, when Borg defeated McEnroe at Wimbledon in the greatest match of all time. And 1990, when I came up just short in my attempt to reach the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. That bookend might well have been 1992, had Wayne not killed my tennis career. I kid Wayne, I kid.
But where I came up short in 1990, Taylor Fritz’s uncle succeeded in 1972. Harry Fritz played line #1 for the (then NAIA) East Texas State Lions (now A&M-Commerce). Fritz won the NAIA District #8 crown in May of 1972, qualifying for nationals at Rockhill. He then got on a roll in Kansas City, winning 5 matches to take the tournament and the NAIA national championship.
It’s decades later, and I’m grateful that Wayne Whitmire and I are still in the land of the living. We’ll be celebrating induction weekend at Austin College Legends in the summer of 2025. Harry Fritz is also still with us in the land of the living. He’ll be in New York at Arthur Ashe Stadium, watching his nephew Taylor on Friday and (hopefully) Sunday re-establish American success at the US Open.
Good luck this weekend to Mr. Taylor Harry Fritz (yes, Taylor’s middle name comes from Uncle Harry). Go out there and win the US Open for us little Americans who played NAIA District #8 tennis. Both your Uncle Harry, who made it to Kansas City. And this mild-mannered Roo Tale author, who came up just a bit short.
