The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-04-25
NET VICTORIES
OF TAR HEELS
NOW 81 IN ROW
Coach Kenfield's Teams
Capture Five National!
Titles In ] Years
Bv CHILES COLEMAN

I ll.Al IL $1,000 I''' 800 - =
Few college coaches can boast FIVE
national championship teams in
seven years. but that's only a
minor item in the amazing record
of success piled up b. .iOhn Ken
field. veteran University of North
Carolina tennis coach.
Not since the spring of 1895
has the Tar Heel tennis team been
defeated in 4 dual Meet, and at
the present the squad is working
on = record Of 81 consecutive vic
tories against some OF the stif'cst
competition in the collegiate net
world.
Here IS Coach kenfeld's record
since he came to Chapel Hill 10
years ago:
One hundred forty-two victories.
four defeats and one tic in dual
competition.
Victories in POP individual
matchc; and losses m IL in the
past two years.
Unuuestioned possession of the
national collegiate team tennis
title every year but two since
1880.
1887 RECORD BEST
Coach Kenfeld's 1887 team
made the best record of any he
bo. coached-l6 consecutive vic
tories in Is tries, with loss of
only s individual matches out of
l4l. His squad this season was
weakened by unexpected loss of
several key players, but 1t Is still
undcfcated.
Kenfield left the candy business
he was a vice president of Cur
tiss Candy Co. in Louisville, Ky
in 1922 to become tennis pro at
Lake Shore Country club in Chi
cago. He was Il native of Louis
vile. but had attended school in
Chicago. and had played enough
good tennis to compete IN the
national clay courts tournament
several times. once reaching the
Semi-tinalS.
Six years later he came to North
Carolina and began balIding a col
lege tennis team. In three years
he was ready. and with Bryan
"Bitsy" Grant and Wilmer Hines,
two names now well known IN
high tennis ranks. as the keystone
players of his squad, he won his
first national championship.
PRINCETON TOOK 2 MATCHES
That squad swept through all
opposition for three years, run
ming up 81 consecutive victories
and finally losing two matches to
Princeton i'm 1894. During that
period. and since, Carolina has
tackled all the leading tennis
teams in the East. including Yale,
Navy, Harvard, n. 7. T., Army,
and others.
After the two Princeton defeats.
another winning streak began and
remains unbroken.
Kenfeld. who returns each sum-
mcr to his old Job as pro at Lake
Shorc- III Chicago. has few rules
for making good tennis players
out of the college youths who
come to him for instructions. He
stresses footwork first above all
else.
"A man with proper footwork
will do better than y man with
good strokes and poor footwork, "
he says. He rates forcing game
as next in Importance. favorS an
eastern grip, but allows his play
ers to use any style they like so
long as they observe correct fun
damcntalS. His only training rule
is temperance.
The veteran coach considers
Grant and Hines the two best
players he has developed. Next to
them he rates Archie Henderson,
son of a university professor, who
was graduated year ago.
Henderson developed more at
Carolina than any other man |
have coached. If he continues in
tennis ne has possibilities of going
much farther than Hines. l con-
slider him material for first 10
rankings now"