RI C H I E MCKE E, 1972-1974 Gles Title in 1948 and Finished As the Runner-Up in Both Charlotte, N.C., Native Richie Mckee Won Much Fame 1947 and 1949
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BI T S Y GR A N T, 1931 Davis Cup singles matches that he played in are the most When asked near the end of his tenure in of any American player in history, and his 75 U.S. Open 1955 to rate the best at Carolina all-time, m e n ’s singles victories were a record that stood until bro- the veteran tennis coach John Kenfield ken by Jimmy Connors in 1985. chose Bitsy Grant to head up the list. Bryan “Bitsy” Grant came to Carolina as GE O R G E SO K O L, 1963 a freshman in 1929 and was named an Named an All-America in singles as a junior in 1963, All-America in 1931. Ranked as high as G e o rge Sokol had a distinguished tennis career at Carolina. #3 nationally in men’s singles during his post-Carolina He was the Tar Heels’ first dominant presence in the c a r e e r, Grant played on four U.S. Davis Cup teams and Atlantic Coast Conference, which won three U.S. Tennis Association national clay court began selecting a singles champi- championships. Grant’s leadership helped the 1931 team on in 1954. From 1954 to 1964, finish undefeated and capture the Southern Conference the ACC chose a sole singles t i t l e . champion before going to individ- ual flight titles thereafter. Sokol WI L M E R HI N E S, 1933 won three of those titles, in 1962, C a r o l i n a ’s top player in 1933, Wi l m e r 1963 and 1964. Sokol also won Hines won the Southern Conference sin- an outright ACC doubles title in gles title and combined with Lenoir 1963, with partner Keith Wright to win the doubles crown. He S t o n e m a n . also was named an All-America that year. The Tar Heels, in fact, won the Southern FR E D D I E MCNA I R, 1970-73 Conference crown every year of Hines’ The only Carolina player to win career at Carolina, never losing a match and tying only one All-America honors throughout for a combined overall record of 52-0-1. After leaving his four years in Chapel Hill, Carolina, Hines went on to win the Italian Open champi- Freddie McNair probably ranks as Carolina’s finest player onship. A great all-around athlete, Hines also lettered in behind Vic Seixas. While at Carolina, basketball three times and captained the 1933 UNC basket- McNair combined with Richie McKee to ball squad that finished with a 12-5 record. reach the NCAA doubles finals in 1973. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, he won VI C SE I X A S, 1948 three individual singles titles in 1970, Regarded by most as the greatest player in Carolina’s ten- 1971 and 1972 and three doubles titles, nis history, Vic Seixas was also one of the great players in one with Joe Dorn in 1970 and two with American tennis history. Seixas was named an A l l - A m e r i c a McKee in 1971 and 1972. He went on to in 1948, and went on to an impressive professional career. have a distinguished professional career, Seixas won the Wimbledon singles championship in 1953 attaining the world’s #1 doubles ranking with teammate and also won the U.S. Open championship in 1954. W h i l e Sherwood Stewart in the late 1970s. at Carolina, Seixas, who played under the legendary John Kenfield from 1947-49, won the Southern Conference sin- RI C H I E MCKE E, 1972-1974 gles title in 1948 and finished as the runner-up in both Charlotte, N.C., native Richie McKee won much fame 1947 and 1949. He teamed with Clark Taylor to capture the playing collegiate tennis, earning All-America honors in league doubles crown in 1949. In 1948, he entered the singles as a sophomore, junior and senior. The son of N C A A Tournament as the top seed, and won five matches teaching pro Dick McKee, who reached the finals at in the tournament before Wimbledon after a career at the University of Miami, dropping the champi- M c K e e ’s playing improved with each onship match to the year he spent at Carolina. He became then-No. 1 ranked play- known as much for his quiet on-the-court e r. That same year in the manner as for his tennis talent. A t e a m N C A A c h a m p i o n s h i p s , captain, McKee and doubles partner Seixas, who came to Freddie McNair reached the NCAA d o u- Carolina after four years bles finals in 1973, and the two won the of Army Air Force duty, 1971 and 1972 Atlantic Coast was the seventh-ranked Conference doubles titles. In singles, m e n ’s singles player in McKee won two ACC titles, at #4 in 1971 and #3 in 1972. the U.S. amateur ranks. By 1952, he had BI L LY BR O C K, 1976 attained the #1 singles A Coach Don Skakle protege, Billy Brock was a member ranking among of four Atlantic Coast Conference championship teams at Americans. The 55 Carolina and was an All-America in singles in 1976. Brock, known for his baby-faced appearance and slight poll — the best finish for Carolina since 1974. Over four build, was a powerhouse on the court and a member of years as a Tar Heel, Jones helped the team reach the cham- North Carolina teams that lost only eight pionship match of the ACC Tournament each year. dual matches in his four-year career, including four undefeated seasons in the CH R I S MU M F O R D, 1992 ACC. The Tar Heels finished as high at A member of the 1992 Atlantic Coast Conference seventh in 1974 in the national polls, as Tournament championship team, Chris Mumford was one Brock won two ACC individual flight of three Tar Heels to be named All-Americas on that squad singles titles, at #3 in 1974 and #1 in — the most of any Carolina team in history. Mumford had 1975, and also took home a doubles title a spectacular year in 1992, capturing All-America honors in 1975 with partner Tommy Dixon. One in doubles with teammate Roland Thornqvist after com- of the Norfolk, Va., native’s greatest wins was a second- pleting a 15-7 season at the #1 position. The pair were round 1974 NCAA Tournament upset of 12th-seeded Steve quarterfinalists at the NCAA Championships and finished Mott of UCLA. Down a set, then-freshman Brock went on the season ranked 14th in the ITA poll. Mumford merited to win nine straight games from the favored Bruin, and All-ACC honors in 1992, the second won the final sets, 6-0 and 6-1. Brock reached the third such honor in his career, as the round of the tournament. Richmond, Va., native captured the flight #5 ACC singles title with a 7-1 confer- JE F F CH A M B E R S, 1985 ence record. Over his four-year career, The only Carolina player in history to receive an NCAA Mumford was a member of a senior class singles invitation each of his four years as a Tar Heel, which helped lead the Tar Heels to an Chambers attended the NCAA Tournament in 1984, 1985, 81-29 overall record and a 24-4 record in 1986 and 1987. He was named an All-America in singles the ACC. After being unranked as fresh- in 1985 after capturing the ACC individual flight champi- men, those seniors led Carolina to national rankings of onship at #2 singles and going 26-8 overall. Chambers also 24th in their sophomore year, 17th in their junior year and attended the NCAA Tournament in dou- eighth in their senior year, and led Carolina in 1990 to its bles three times, missing only in 1986. first ACC crown since 1978. The 1992 team’s NCAA The St. Petersburg, Fla., native was a Tournament bid was also the first since 1978 for the Ta r three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference Heels, as that squad went on to become quarterfinalists selection. He enjoyed his highest nation- nationally and set a school record with 25 wins. al ranking in doubles with partner Wa y n e Hearn in 1985, as the pair reached the RO L A N D TH O R N Q V I S T, 1992-1993 No. 24 slot in the ITA p o l l . A rguably the most accomplished tennis player ever to wear Carolina Blue and White, 1993 UNC graduate Roland BRYA N JO N E S, 1992 Thornqvist was the #1 singles and #1 doubles player at One of two Carolina players in history to be named the Carolina for three straight years. The Farsta, Sweden, Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Most Va l u a b l e native was named an All-America in both singles and dou- P l a y e r, Bryan Jones received that honor and many more in bles by the ITA in both 1992 and 1993. His greatest 1992 as the senior tri-captain led the Tar Heels to one of accomplishment, however, was winning the Rafael Osuna the school’s most successful seasons, setting a school Sportsmanship Award in both 1992 and 1993.