On Sunday, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) formally welcomed Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Mike Franks, Patrick Galbraith, Brian Hainline, and Peter Smith to the Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in Lake Nona, Florida. The six newest inductees are the 36th induction class for the Men’s Hall of Fame.
At the event, family, friends, and the tennis community gathered to honor the Class of 2023 and hear from ITA CEO Tim Russell, ITA Chairman of the Board Jon Vegosen and ITA Men’s Hall of Fame Curator John Frierson.
“It’s always a pleasure to be here. The last time we did this was in 2019 in this very room,” said John Frierson. “The people are what makes a Hall of Fame special and it’s great to have everybody here. I look forward to doing it again in two years.”
Those at the induction ceremony also heard from the Class of 2023.
“We learned a lot of lessons from Coach (Dick) Gould. One was to improve every day and never be satisfied. We took that to heart on the tour,” said Bob Bryan.
“23 years on tour, 1,500 matches, I don’t think we’d have the success we did and the longevity without college tennis. We’re very grateful to college tennis,” stated Mike Bryan.
“I believe we are in such a unique place in tennis. The USTA, the ITA, and the NCAA have been cooperating like never before. In fact, the tennis world has never been more together,” said Brian Hainline.
“I always felt that this was what I was supposed to do in life. It was always so natural for me,” stated Peter Smith. “I always thought that I was the luckiest human in the world. I really believed that. Coaching to me, especially in those moments, you just feel like this is what you were put on earth to do.”
The ITA Men’s Hall of Fame, inducting its first class in 1983 and more than 280 tennis greats in all, prides itself on recognizing players, coaches, and contributors to College Tennis. The next induction for the Men’s Hall of Fame will be in 2025, with nominations opening in 2024.
To view pictures from the event, click on the link below. Feature videos on each inductee are on the ITA YouTube channel, which is also linked below.
