Stanford Men's Tennis: A Championship Legacy

Stanford routed VCU 4-0 in Athens, Ga., to win its 15th NCAA championship and 18th overall team title. The Cardinal went 28-1 and claimed NCAA, Pac-10 and National Indoor championships. Stanford's 28 victories matched a program-best total, tying the 1998 Cardinal. Three players earned All-America honors: Geoff Abrams, K.J. Hippensteel and Alex Kim, who became the 13th player in school history to win an NCAA singles title. Kim cruised past Kentucky's Carlos Drada, 6-1, 6-1 in the championship match.

Stanford captured its fourth consecutive national championship, taking down Georgia 4-0 in Athens, Ga. The Cardinal finished 28-0, posting its second undefeated season in four years, while surrendering only three dual-match points the entire season. Four different players shared time at the No. 1 singles spot, all registering undefeated dual records at that position. Stanford's national championship was part of a clean sweep, with Bob Bryan capturing the singles title and teaming with brother Mike to win the doubles crown.

Stanford locked up a national championship for the third consecutive season. This time around, the Cardinal blanked Georgia, 4-0, in Los Angeles and concluded the year with a 26-2 record, including 9-1 in Pac-10 play to share conference honors. The Cardinal featured a tough singles lineup, with three players tallying at least 37 victories, as four -- Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Paul Goldstein and Ryan Wolters -- earned All-America honors.

Three of Stanford's four losses came in the regular season against UCLA. But when the Cardinal and Bruins hooked up for a fourth time in the national championship, the result was a 4-1 Cardinal victory. Stanford repeated as national champion and won its fourth title of the decade largely because of the performances of four All-Americans -- Paul Goldstein, Jeff Salzenstein, Jim Thomas and Ryan Wolters.

After a two-year gap from its most recent NCAA championship season, Stanford found itself back on top after routing Mississippi 4-0, in Athens, Ga., to claim the national title. The Cardinal wrapped up the year at 27-0, signaling the program's first undefeated season since going 24-0 in 1978. Stanford was led by a trio of All-Americans: Paul Goldstein, Scott Humphries and Jeff Salzenstein.

The men's and women's tennis programs combined for 21 national titles over the last 20 years, culminating with the 1992 men's championship. Alex O'Brien won the triple crown of tennis, capping his stellar career with an NCAA singles, doubles and team title - the third such accomplishment in Stanford history. O'Brien finished his dual career with a 40-5 record and earned All-America honors four times, and was a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year. Stanford, which finished the season at 25-3, defeated Notre Dame 5-0 in the final in Athens, Ga.

Jared Palmer and Alexis Hombrecher entered the season recovering from knee surgeries, but the Cardinal persevered to win its third consecutive NCAA title. Both would return during the regular season, before Palmer was sidelined again with another knee surgery and Jonathan Stark suffered a stress fracture in his toe. Stanford literally limped into the NCAA's in Indian Wells, Calif., where the Cardinal beat Texas 5-1 in the quarterfinals, USC 5-3 in the semifinals and Tennessee 5-2 in the championship. Stark finished the year with a 20-2 record, and Alex O'Brien went 23-4, mostly at the No. 2 position.

The team of the 1980's captured six titles during the decade, including the 1989 crown. For Dick Gould, it was his 10th title, more than anyone else in the sport. Doubles was the key to the season as 12 of 14 matches were decided that way, including an upset of No. 1 UCLA late in the season and of Georgia in the 5-3 NCAA title match in Athens, Ga. Jeff Tarango and Alex O'Brien were unstoppable in doubles, going 9-0 in dual matches, while Stanford finished the year 22-4.

All-Americans Patrick McEnroe and David Wheaton played in their final collegiate matches before turning pro, leading the Cardinal to a 25-1 mark and 19-match win streak to close out the year. The only blemish was a 5-4 defeat to USC, but the Cardinal came back to beat the Trojans four times, including a 5-3 victory in the national semifinals. With rain in Athens, Ga., forcing the final match indoors against No. 2 LSU, Wheaton and Jeff Tarango clinched the victory with a 5-2 doubles win for Stanford's ninth NCAA title.

Dick Gould led his squad to a 19-5 record and NCAA title, defeating Pepperdine 5-2 in the final, after taking care of Harvard, Clemson and UCLA earlier in the tournament in Athens, Ga. All-American Dan Goldie won the NCAA singles title, teaming with fellow All-Americans Patrick McEnroe and Jim Grabb to form the backbone of the team. Patrick McEnroe, the third McEnroe to attend Stanford following Mark and John, would play No. 3 singles and compile a 20-4 mark. With the women also winning, it was the first dual national title for any NCAA program (Stanford had won an NCAA men's and AIAW women's in 1978).

Dan Goldie was among the talented young players on the team, posting a 24-1 record.

Ranked as low as No. 13 during the season, Stanford proved itself by beating SMU 5-2 in the championship final in Athens, Ga. A young Stanford team that included five freshmen and four sophomores was led by No. 1 player Scott Davis and finished 24-1. Davis won all four singles matches in straight sets during the team tournament, and Dan Goldie went 21-4 overall at No. 3 singles.

The Cardinal won its sixth NCAA championship in nine years by defeating UCLA, 5-1, in Athens, Ga., to finish the season at 20-2. Scott Bondurant, playing at No. 5, secured the winning point in a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Bruce Brescia. No. 1 player Tim Mayotte had rallied to Marcel Freeman 6-7, 7-6 (5-1), 6-3 to put the Cardinal up 3-1.

The Cardinal beat rival California 5-3 in Athens, Ga., to claim its first national title in two years. Stanford was led by two-time All-Americans Peter Rennert and Lloyd Bourne during a 21-3 season. Stanford beat Utah (6-0), Clemson (7-2) and Pepperdine (6-3) en route to the all-Bay Area final. Sophomore All-American Tim Mayotte was an impressive 28-5, and upset eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Jimmy Connors at the TransAmerica Tournament in San Francisco.

A certain New Yorker stepped foot on the courts for Dick Gould for just one season, but left an impression for years to come. John McEnroe led the Cardinal to a 24-0 record - capped by a 6-3 victory over UCLA in the team final in Athens, Ga. -- and won the NCAA singles title before turning pro. McEnroe would go onto three Wimbledon titles and four U.S. Open crowns during his legendary career. As Gould would say, "I did my darndest getting John. I knew he couldn't and shouldn't stay four years. He was ready to be a leading pro after a single season with us. He was a prized package waiting to be opened."

The Stanford tennis dynasty began in earnest as sophomore Matt Mitchell became the sixth Cardinal to win an NCAA singles title and third in five years. He beat UCLA's Tony Graham for the title, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in Athens, Ga., earning All-America honors for the first time. The Cardinal beat Trinity (Texas) College, 5-4, for the team title after missing out on the 1976 national championship by a single point.

The Cardinal won its second consecutive NCAA title behind John Whitlinger's "triple crown" of singles, doubles (with Jim Delaney) and team titles. Whitlinger would eventually succeed Dick Gould as the team's head coach. The team experienced some adversity when defending NCAA singles and doubles champion Alex Mayer left the team and Amateur Clay Court winner, Pat DuPre, was sidelined for the year by a wrist injury. But Stanford got a boost from Chico Hagey, who fought his way into the lineup, suffered a midseason slump and then dominated in the NCAA's, losing serve just once over the seven rounds. Hagey reached the singles final against Whitlinger, who rallied to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. Stanford beat host USC 30-25 to win the team title.

The beginning of seven titles in 10 years, Stanford beat USC 33-28 in Princeton, N.J., to secure coach Dick Gould's first championship. Alex Mayer, a three-time All-American, became Stanford's fourth NCAA singles winner and also won the doubles title, teaming with Jim Delaney. It was beginning of a dynasty for Gould.

Larry Dee won his second NCAA doubles title, this time alongside Ted Schroeder.

Ted Schroeder had perhaps the finest season ever by a Stanford tennis player. Not only did he win the NCAA singles and doubles crowns in 1942 -- the latter with Larry Dee - but he captured the singles title at the U.S. National Championships, the precursor to the U.S. Open. Stanford won the unofficial national team title in 1942, because the NCAA did not hold a team championship until after World War II. Stanford highlights were its twin shutouts (8-0 and 9-0) over perennial power UCLA. Of Schroeder, the future Wimbledon singles champion, longtime Stanford publicist Don Liebendorfer wrote: "His game had no weaknesses and he had a wonderful competitive temperament."