University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Men's Tennis All-Americans
January 16, 2002 | Men's Tennis
When asked near the end of his tenure in 1955 to rate the best at Carolina all-time, the veteran tennis coach John Kenfield chose Bitsy Grant to head up the list. Bryan "Bitsy" Grant came to Carolina as a freshman in 1929 and was named an All-America in 1931. Ranked as high as #3 nationally in men's singles during his post-Carolina career, Grant played on four U.S. Davis Cup teams and won three U.S. Tennis Association national clay court championships. Grant's leadership helped the 1931 team finish undefeated and capture the Southern Conference title.
Wilmer Hines, 1933
Carolina's top player in 1933, Wilmer Hines won the Southern Conference singles title and combined with Lenoir Wright to win the doubles crown. He also was named an All-America that year. The Tar Heels, in fact, won the Southern Conference crown every year of Hines' career at Carolina, never losing a match and tying only one for a combined overall record of 52-0-1. After leaving Carolina, Hines went on to win the Italian Open championship. A great all-around athlete, Hines also lettered in basketball three times and captained the 1933 UNC basketball squad that finished with a 12-5 record.
Vic Seixas, 1948
Regarded by most as the greatest player in Carolina's tennis history, Vic Seixas was also one of the great players in American tennis history. Seixas was named an All-America in 1948, and went on to an impressive professional career. Seixas won the Wimbledon singles championship in 1953 and also won the U.S. Open championship in 1954. While at Carolina, Seixas, who played under the legendary John Kenfield from 1947-49, won the Southern Conference singles title in 1948 and finished as the runner-up in both 1947 and 1949. He teamed with Clark Taylor to capture the league doubles crown in 1949. In 1948, he entered the NCAA Tournament as the top seed, and won five matches in the tournament before dropping the championship match to the then-No. 1 ranked player. That same year in the NCAA championships, Seixas, who came to Carolina after four years of Army Air Force duty, was the seventh-ranked men's singles player in the U.S. amateur ranks. By 1952, he had attained the #1 singles ranking among Americans. The 55 Davis Cup singles matches that he played in are the most of any American player in history, and his 75 U.S. Open men's singles victories were a record that stood until broken by Jimmy Connors in 1985. George Sokol, 1963 Named an All-America in singles as a junior in 1963, George Sokol had a distinguished tennis career at Carolina. He was the Tar Heels' first dominant presence in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which began selecting a singles champion in 1954. From 1954 to 1964, the ACC chose a sole singles champion before going to individual flight titles thereafter. Sokol won three of those titles, in 1962, 1963 and 1964. Sokol also won an outright ACC doubles title in 1963, with partner Keith Stoneman.
Freddie McNair, 1970-73
The only Carolina player to win All-America honors throughout his four years in Chapel Hill, Freddie McNair probably ranks as Carolina's finest player behind Vic Seixas. While at Carolina, McNair combined with Richie McKee to reach the NCAA doubles finals in 1973. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, he won three individual singles titles in 1970, 1971 and 1972 and three doubles titles, one with Joe Dorn in 1970 and two with McKee in 1971 and 1972. He went on to have a distinguished professional career, attaining the world's #1 doubles ranking with teammate Sherwood Stewart in the late 1970s.
Richie McKee, 1972-1974
Charlotte, N.C., native Richie McKee won much fame playing collegiate tennis, earning All-America honors in singles as a sophomore, junior and senior. The son of teaching pro Dick McKee, who reached the finals at Wimbledon after a career at the University of Miami, McKee's playing improved with each year he spent at Carolina. He became known as much for his quiet on-the-court manner as for his tennis talent. A team captain, McKee and doubles partner Freddie McNair reached the NCAA doubles finals in 1973, and the two won the 1971 and 1972 Atlantic Coast Conference doubles titles. In singles, McKee won two ACC titles, at #4 in 1971 and #3 in 1972.
Billy Brock, 1976 A Coach Don Skakle protege, Billy Brock was a member of four Atlantic Coast Conference championship teams at Carolina and was an All-America in singles in 1976. rock, known for his baby-faced appearance and slight build, was a powerhouse on the court and a member of North Carolina teams that lost only eight dual matches in his four-year career, including four undefeated seasons in the ACC. The Tar Heels finished as high at seventh in 1974 in the national polls, as Brock won two ACC individual flight singles titles, at #3 in 1974 and #1 in 1975, and also took home a doubles title in 1975 with partner Tommy Dixon. One of the Norfolk, Va., native's greatest wins was a second-round 1974 NCAA Tournament upset of 12th-seeded Steve Mott of UCLA. Down a set, then-freshman Brock went on to win nine straight games from the favored Bruin, and won the final sets, 6-0 and 6-1. Brock reached the third round of the tournament.
Jeff Chambers, 1985
The only Carolina player in history to receive an NCAA singles invitation each of his four years as a Tar Heel, Chambers attended the NCAA Tournament in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987. He was named an All-America in singles in 1985 after capturing the ACC individual flight championship at #2 singles and going 26-8 overall. Chambers also attended the NCAA Tournament in doubles three times, missing only in 1986. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native was a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. He enjoyed his highest national ranking in doubles with partner Wayne Hearn in 1985, as the pair reached the No. 24 slot in the ITA poll.
Bryan Jones, 1992
One of two Carolina players in history to be named the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, Bryan Jones received that honor and many more in 1992 as the senior tri-captain led the Tar Heels to one of the school's most successful seasons, setting a school record for team wins (25-5). Jones also was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1992 and helped lead the team to the 1992 ACC Tournament Championship. It was the second such championship for UNC during Jones' tenure, as Carolina also won the coveted trophy in 1990 when Jones was a sophomore. The Tar Heels finished the 1992 conference regular season undefeated at 8-0 and placed four players on the All-ACC team, including Jones, who also earned the honor in 1990. The Kings Mountain, N.C., native was named an All-America selection in singles after finishing with a 35-7 overall record, was named the ITA Region II Volvo Tennis/Senior Player of the Year and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Jones, who also won the flight #2 ACC singles title in 1992, was a member of a senior class that saw its team reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and finish eighth nationally in the ITA poll - the best finish for Carolina since 1974. Over four years as a Tar Heel, Jones helped the team reach the championship match of the ACC Tournament each year.
Chris Mumford, 1992
A member of the 1992 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship team, Chris Mumford was one of three Tar Heels to be named All-Americas on that squad - the most of any Carolina team in history. Mumford had a spectacular year in 1992, capturing All-America honors in doubles with teammate Roland Thornqvist after completing a 15-7 season at the #1 position. The pair were quarterfinalists at the NCAA Championships and finished the season ranked 14th in the ITA poll. Mumford enjoyed All-ACC honors in 1992, the second such honor in his career, as the Richmond, Va., native captured the flight #5 ACC singles title with a 7-1 conference record. Over his four-year career, Mumford was a member of a senior class which helped lead the Tar Heels to an 81-29 overall record and a 24-4 record in the ACC. After being unranked as freshmen, they led Carolina to national rankings of 24th in their sophomore year, 17th in their junior year and eighth in their senior year, and led Carolina in 1990 to its first ACC crown since 1978. The 1992 team's NCAA Tournament bid was also the first since 1978 for the Tar Heels, as that squad went on to become quarterfinalists nationally and set a school record with 25 wins.
Roland Thornqvist, 1992-1993
Arguably the most accomplished tennis player ever to wear Carolina blue and white, 1993 UNC graduate was the #1 singles and #1 doubles player at Carolina for three straight years. The Farsta, Sweden, native was named an All-American in both singles and doubles by the ITA in both 1992 and 1993. His greatest accomplishment, however, was winning the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award in both 1992 and 1993. He is the first player in the history of college tennis to win the prestigious honor twice. As a junior, he also won the Region II Arthur Ashe Jr./Head Sportsmanship Award. In 1993, he captured the singles title in the Rolex/ITA National Indoor Championships, one of the collegiate grand slams, was named to the Rolex Collegiate All-Star Team, was the ITA Region II Senior Player of the Year and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Thornqvist was the ACC champion at #1 singles in both his sophomore and senior years and he won the #1 doubles crown as a senior, with Daryl Wyatt. A three-time All-ACC selection, Thornqvist co-captained the Tar Heel team as a senior and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in singles three years and in doubles twice. He was a quarterfinalist in singles in both 1992 and 1993, and in doubles in 1992. Prior to coming to Carolina, he won the 1990 NAIA national championship in both singles and doubles as a freshman at Elon College and was named a first-team Volvo All-America and the NAIA National Tennis Player of the Year, compiling a singles record of 37-0. Thornqvist also was named by USA Today as its collegiate athlete of the year for the state of North Carolina in 1990. After spending a year on the ATP Tour following graduation from Carolina in 1993, Thornqvist was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels in 1995 and 1996. He left the program to become the head women's tennis coach at the University of Kansas, but returned to the North Carolina tennis program in 1998 as the head coach of the women's team.
Daryl Wyatt, 1993
Although he spent only one year as a member of the Tar Heel tennis team, Washington, D.C., native Daryl Wyatt made his time in a Carolina uniform count. The first black men's tennis player at UNC since Junie Chatman in 1978, Wyatt was superb in doubles with partner Roland Thornqvist as a freshman in 1993. The pair went undefeated in Atlantic Coast Conference play that season, going 8-0 against conference foes on a team that never lost during ACC regular season play, and finished at 24-6 overall, winning All-America honors from the ITA. Wyatt and Thornqvist also captured the ACC individual doubles title at the #1 position, and qualified for NCAA doubles competition, advancing to the second round. Wyatt was 32-11 overall in singles play and finished ACC singles competition at 6-2.
David Caldwell, 1994-1995 Two-time All-American David Caldwell left a legacy at Carolina that will be difficult to match by any future Tar Heel. The Richmond, Va., native came to UNC as one of the most decorated junior tennis stars in the country, having been ranked in the top five nationally. At North Carolina, he continued his winning ways, becoming the only Atlantic Coast Conference men's tennis player to earn ACC Player of the Year honors three times, in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Caldwell was named an ITA All-American in singles as both a sophomore and a junior, and was a doubles All-American with partner Brint Morrow as a junior. Caldwell was 16-0 in ACC singles as a junior and a senior, and is the only player to ever win three individual ACC flight titles at #1 singles. He won the 1995 Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award and was the Region II Head/Arthur Ashe Jr. Sportsmanship Award recipient. The 1996 Region II Men's Tennis Player of the Year, Caldwell received NCAA singles invitations in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and was an NCAA quarterfinalist in 1995. A three-time All-ACC selection, he compiled a 116-41 (.737) record over his four years as a Tar Heel and finished his ACC career with a 32-5 (.865) record in singles and a 27-10 (.730) record in doubles. Caldwell, a 1996 Carolina graduate, was both the 1993 Region II ITA Rookie Player of the Year and the 1994 Penn/ITA National Player to Watch.
Brint Morrow, 1995
A consistently strong performer for the Tar Heels over his four years in Chapel Hill, Brint Morrow was named All-American in doubles in 1995 with partner David Caldwell, the tandem having gone 26-10 over the season and receiving an NCAA doubles invitation that season. A 1996 Carolina graduate whose father played tennis at Carolina in 1961, Morrow was a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. He won three individual ACC singles flight championships and one doubles championship. Morrow captured the flight #3 doubles title with Caldwell and the flight #5 singles crown in 1993 as a freshman, the flight #2 singles title as a sophomore, and went undefeated in conference play in 1995 to win the flight #3 singles title as a senior. He also was the recipient of the 1995 Blue/Gray Classic Sportsmanship Award after competing in that prestigious tournament in Montgomery, Ala.
Tripp Phillips, 2000
An intense competitor and valued team leader, Tripp Phillips, of Charlotte, NC, earned All-America status his senior season. After returning from a medical redshirt, Phillips had an outstanding senior campaign, posting a stellar 25-6 singles record from the #1 singles position. Phillips collected impressivevictories over nationally #1 ranked Daniel Anderson and #3 Shuon Madden. Phillip's intense leadership carried the Heels to a second place ACC finish and a #16 national ranking. Phillips dominating 12-2 record against ACC competetion earned him runner-up honors at #1 singles. However, Phillips saved his best performance of the year for last as he advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships. Phillips performance elevated him in the ITA rankings as he finished 2000 ranked #12 nationally in singles. Phillips career and character were honored as he received the prestigious Patterson Medal and the John Van Nostrand Award. He and UNC soccer player Lorrie Fair won the 1999-2000 Patterson Medals. He was the first tennis player so honored since Vic Seixas in 1949-50.
Players Mentioned
