Cal State Fullerton Titans tennis

Coach Dr. Jean A. Barrett,(Emeritus) years (1966-68)

Dr. Jean A. Barrett,(Emeritus) started at Orange State College (known now as Cal State Fullerton) in 1963 she was a Professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Fullerton getting her degree's a B.S. from Cortland State Teachers College in 1952 and an Ed.M. from the University of Buffalo and an Ed.D. from State University of New York at Buffalo.^[3] Barrett was a pioneer in Physical Education and Women's Athletics at CSUF she was the first female faculty member in the P.E. Department(now Department of Kinesiology). Barrett served 28 years at the University and served a number of leadership roles there also. Barrett like the former Titans Men's Tennis Coach Ernest A. Becker who started also the Titan Men's Tennis Program mentored her tennis student-athletes while she was coaching her teams. In the school year 1966–67 she was the Titans Women's Director of Intercollegiate Activities and started a Women's Tennis Program at Cal State Fullerton and they were known as the Titanettes Tennis Team they had nine matches that season and was off to a good start according to their leader Barrett. One of the first Women Tennis letterwinners from that starting season in 1967 to play for Barrett was former La Habra Highlander High School tennis player Cindy L. Gohring a senior class student-athlete at Cal State Fullerton that school year.^[4] In 1967 the Titans and Barrett were in the overall national picture for women collegiate athletics called The Division for Girl's and Women's Sports(DGWS) which sets the standards for intercollegiate competition but does not allow women's athletic scholarships, this lasts until 1972.^[5] In 1967 the DGWS forms the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women(CIAW) and begins offering national championships in many sports including tennis the Individual National Singles Champion from that year was Patsy Rippy of Odessa College and doubles title went to Jane Albert and partner Julie Anthony of Stanford.^[6] In 1968 the USLTA sponsors the first National Team Championship in Women's Intercollegiate Tennis and known now as Trinity University (Texas) coached by Shirley Rushing wins the team title and Emilie Burrer also of Trinity University (Texas) wins the Individual National Championship for singles and doubles that year with partner Becky Vest.^[5] For the 2016–17 season for the current Titan Women's Team it will be the 50th anniversary since the Tennis Program for Women was started at Cal State Fullerton.

Coach Virginia Scheel,(Emeritus) years (1968–1973)

The Titans women's varsity tennis team first started competing in the 1967–68 academic school year the year Coach Scheel's first came to CSUF and finished eight in their conference. Scheel had a Titan tennis team/program financial budget when she started of $100.00 for the season.^[7] Scheel was a professor of Kinesiology and Health Promotion at Fullerton and was a grad from La Verne College now known as (University of La Verne) she was also after her tennis coaching career at Fullerton was the president of Western Society of Physical Education of College Women for academic year 1984–85 this society was founded in 1921 and deals with issues and concerns related to disciplines in higher education and human movement the group of women represents colleges from the western territory of Canada to Hawaii to Utah and down to Arizona she was a well rounded collegiate coach.^[3] The 1970 Titan squad had a record finish of first in the conference in only their third year of competing in collegiate women's tennis.^[7] In 1972, Coach Virginia Scheel's Titans had an undefeated women's tennis season, according to the coach.^[8] In the 1973 CSUF women's season, Scheel's team, led by number 1 singles player a former transfer student-athlete from Fullerton Junior College Hornets Sue Marta, had a victory, defeating the USC Trojans in that year also the Titans women's tennis program also moved up in league class to the "A" bracket. Marta also had a career high impressive victory over Cal State L.A. Golden Eagle Tina Watanabe their Number 1 player on the team and a 1973 NCAA National Collegiate Singles Tournament finalists that was held in Auburn, Alabama Watanabe had victories on the Women's Pro Circuit over Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles and had a World Singles Ranking of 79th at one point in her professional career.^[8] Another standout Titan tennis player on that 1973 team is Michelle Rauland who after competing on that '73 team in January 1974 competed with the professional women tennis players at one of the circuit stops for the Virginia Slims Tour in Mission Viejo, California the tournament was played on hard courts and Rauland was beaten in the early rounds by Penny Johnson 1-6, 2-6 the winner of the tournament was Chris Evert beating in the finals Billie Jean King 6-3, 6-1 in 1974 the prize money for the tournament was $50,000 for the professionals.^[9]

Coach Jean Davenport years (1973–1976)

Coach Jean Davenport's, a Virginia State University grad with a "MS" from Michigan State the Titan Health Ed. Instructor coached the 1975 Titans Team which was led by a Junior Fullerton's number #1 player Kathy Wright a former Stanford University player during her freshman year there. Davenport's said her team's greatest assets are persistence and strict conditioning. The team also achieved academic excellents in the classroom with an overall GPA of 3.3 and Davenport said this Titan team has a record wide age range on the team with student tennis athletes 18 to 36.

Standout Titan individual women tennis performers in singles and doubles under Coach Jean Davenport tenure:

• 1973, 1974 Sue Marta
• 1974 Kathy Wright

Coach Jan Billings years (1976–1982)

In a historic time for Division I Women's Athletics Ellen Linderman '81 who played on the 1977, 1978 and 1979 Titan squad's was one of the first women to receive an Athletic Scholarship because of Title IX from the Athletic Department by Coach Jan Billings at that time in the program at the University. The 1980 Titans squad was led by a number 1 freshman player named Pia Tamayo who was also a member of the Philippines Federation Cup Team and went three sets, losing (6–2, 2–6, 0–6) to tennis professional Hana Mandlíková from the Czechoslovakia Fed Cup Team; the match took place in Santa Clara, California.^[10] Tamayo as a international junior tournament player competed at The Wimbledon Championships "Girls Singles Bracket" playing in 1978, 1979 and 1980 defeated in each year in the second round after winning her first round matches in '78 losing to Anna-Maria Fernandez 2-6, 3-6 and in '79 to player Sonia Davies 6-7, 6-3, 5-7 and in '80 after her freshman year for the Titans to another player Kate Brasher 1-6, 6-2, 4-6.^[11]Tamayo played one successful year for the Titans and went on to finish her collegiate career at Princeton University and was a 3-time All-Ivy League Tennis Selection for the Tigers. Carol Pat Christian who played her 1980 freshman year/season as the number #2 singles player behind Tamayo on the Titan team, she played at Pacific High School in San Bernardino, Ca. during her junior's years and as a junior player she played Tracy Austin and lost 0–6, 2–6 in the finals of The 31st Annual Fullerton Junior Tennis Tournament. Christian won the Singles and Doubles Titles at The National Indoor Girls' Tennis Championships at Mt. Clemens, Michigan and she was also ranked #1 in singles in Southern California Sectionals in the girls' 14-and-under class as a junior player.^[12] Christian also during the 1980 Titan season beat Cal Berkeley's top singles player as her highlight victory of that season. She had an 8–2 record in the league in singles and had a 1–1 record against UCLA's Becky Bell the #2 singles player for the Bruins, the league again as in the past was the toughest in the nation with conference members like UCLA, USC, Arizona State, Arizona, Long Beach State and San Diego State these school's were in top ten rankings in many season's year in year out in Division I Women's Tennis nationally.^[13] As a sophomore Christian played her last season in 1981 as a Titan as the number #1 singles player on the team and played with her Pacific High School teammate Sherrie Shellhammer on that Titan team for Coach Jan Billings.^[14] Christian went onto playing professionally in 1984 competing in the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open and in 1988-89 years competed in the Australian Open along with the US Open and French Open her highest singles professional ranking was #111 on August 1, 1988 and her highest doubles ranking was #199 December 21, 1986.^[15] Christian was honored by Southern California Tennis Association as for women tennis players from 1960-80 in the "SoCal So Good" article of tennis individuals who have made an impact on the game locally by the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame that took place on July 20, 2002.^[16]

Standout Titan individual women's tennis performers in singles and doubles under Coach Jan Billings tenure:

• 1977 Jodi Foster
• 1978, 1979 Karen Peterson
• 1980 Pia Tamayo
• 1980, 1981 Carol Pat Christian
• 1982 Kristi Blankenship '86

Coach Bill Cole years (1982–83)

Coach Bill Etchegaray years (1983–85)

Coach Brad Allen years (1985–89)

Coach Bill Reynolds,(Emeritus)^[20] era (1989–2013)

Coach Dianne Matias (2013–Current)

Coach Dr. Ernest "Ernie"A. Becker,(Emeritus) years (1960–1962)

The Cal State Fullerton Titans Tennis team was started first with a men's varsity team in 1960 started by Dr. Ernest Becker who was the founding Dean of Students at Orange County State College which is now known today as California State University, Fullerton and also was a philosophy professor joined the school in 1959 and also became the first Director of Athletics.^[35] Becker known as "Ernie" to everyone was a Amherst College grad and "Mammoths" tennis letterman as a player on the team and received a graduate degree in "Divinity" and a doctorate degree in "Higher Education" from the University of Southern California, he started his professional career as a journalist working at one time for "The Christian Science Monitor" and other news organizations.^[36] He was the first men's tennis coach and known as a father figure for the young team and also was enjoying practicing with the team and having annual faculty exhibition matches against the varsity team with such faculty members as Thomas Ashley, Nish Jamgotch, Orrington Ramsey, Ronald Calhoun, Lee Kerschner and of course Dr. Becker.^[37] He was a true pioneer in getting this men's Titan tennis program started at Fullerton. He had Mitchel Saadi '64 as the "Team Captain" in the early years of the program and also Becker had tennis professional Stan Smith's brother Ken Smith Jr. on the Titan team.^[35] Becker in 1940 while in India was playing tennis matches with the "Maharaja of Patiala" and his Prime Minister.^[38] Becker during World War II was playing exhibition matches and was a practice player hitting balls and getting tips on the game with legendary tennis professional Bill Tilden and also tennis pro Vinnie Richards as well as National Doubles Champion and Davis Cup Team Captain Gardnar Mulloy, Davis Cup member Wayne Sabin and National Women's Doubles Champion Helen Marlow through playing matches with these notable players he was adding more knowledge of the game by the time he started the Titans Mens Tennis Program and coaching his players during those early years of the Program.^[39] Becker retired in 1977 at Cal State Fullerton as he held his final position at the school of "Director of the Career Placement Center".^[36] Coach Becker passed away on January 5, 1998 he was 83 years old.^[35]

Standout Titan individual mens tennis performers in singles and doubles under Coach Dr. Ernest A. Becker tenure:

• Mitchel Saadi '64

Coach Neale R. Stoner years (1963–1964)

The next men's tennis coach at Orange State College taking over for Coach Thomas J. Ashley who also was a political science professor at that time in 1963 was Coach Neale R. Stoner the future Cal State Fullerton Titans Director of Athletics from (1972–1979) and tennis enthusiast for a season and a half coaching the tennis team in Fullerton, Ca.. During this time period in which the Titans tennis team was involved in from 1963 to 1966 Cal State Los Angeles dominated the Division II Small College Division for Mens Tennis winning the "National Team Championship Titles" three years and Runner-up one year in a four year span coached by Scotty Deeds and lead by national individual champion players Gilbert Rodriquez, Gary Johnson, John Lee and also Joe Huey.^[40] In a team dual match on March 9, 1964 the Titans competed against Cal State Los Angeles and the Titans were defeated that day Coach Stoner tabbed Cal State Los Angeles "the best small college team around and said the Titans had bitten off more than they could chew".^[41] On the 1963 team the Titans had a female student-athlete on the squad because there was no Titans women's team until the 1966-67 school year by the name of Rosalie Passovoy '63 who beat the number 6 player on the team and earn a spot and a letter on the team, her doubles partner on the team was Ben Wade '63.^[42] Former Anaheim High School and UCLA Bruins 1959 tennis letterman transfer Mike Bouck was the number 1 Flight Singles player on the 1962-63 Titans team had very good results with Orange State College(CSUF) played two years with the team but prior to that as a Bruin in that 1959 season his team won the PAC-8 Conference and had a 15–1 team record that was coached by collegiate tennis legendary Coach J.D. Morgan (161-18 collegiate record from 1951-1966) who Bouck played with four All-Americans on the team that included 1959 PAC-8 Singles Champion Allen Fox, Roger Werksman, Dale Rohland and Norman Perry a very strong UCLA Bruins team that year.^[43] Bouck in 1957 competing one year/season for Fullerton Junior College teamed up with Mr. Nelson in The Ojai Valley Men's Junior College Doubles Tennis Championships Division and were finalists in The Frank T. Heffelfinger Challenge Cup there at Ojai losing to future Cal State Los Angeles player Gilbert Rodriquez and partner Eduardo Guzman of Modesto Junior College both of them were finalists in the Singles Championship play that year.^[18] On the 1963-64 Titans squad was former Fullerton Junior College Hornet tennis player Stan Kula a legend in Orange County, California tennis circles who was their top player on that '64 Titan team and back in 1959 Kula from Anaheim High School was the CIF High School Individual Doubles Champion with doubles partner Don Kliss that year. In a dual match on April 21, 1964 the Titans took on arch rival Long Beach State College(known now as Long Beach State University) Kula the Titans number 1 seed/man on the team beat highly ranked national collegiate player John Allgood of the 49ers in singles 8-6, 4-6, 6-2, Allgood in his collegiate tennis career was seeded in the top eight for the National Collegiate Mens Tennis Championships held in Los Angeles also in that dual match with the 49ers Kula and his teammate partner Mike Bouck won also in doubles but the Titans team was outlasted by the depth in the 49ers lineup and were beaten in that dual team match.^[44] Kula after college beat many touring tennis professionals like Rod Laver, Stan Smith, Pancho Gonzales, Bob Lutz and even Billie Jean King and was also the Titans coach for the 1965 season.^[45][46]

Standout Titan individual mens tennis performers in singles and doubles under Coach Neale Stoner tenure:

• 1963 Mike Bouck
• 1964 Stan Kula '67

Coach Dr. Michael Yessis,(Emeritus) years (1966–1969)

In 1967 first year Titans Head Men's Tennis Coach Dr. Michael Yessis a College of New York grad and a professor of Physical Education at Fullerton said "We have a small squad and we have a very rough schedule – rougher than the previous year" in that year. Yessis also commented on the existing Titan Tennis Courts saying "The courts are slow, which handicaps an attempt to play a fast attacking game". "New construction at the courts may remedy this situation" says Yessis the athletic department has plans to supplement the tennis facilities at that time with four new tennis courts hopefully by the 1968 season according to Yessis.^[47] Titan tennis player's Steve White '68 a Antelope Valley Junior College transfer and Jose Nino '68 a "Two-Time Titan Team MVP" played in the 1967 NCAA Men's Division II Tennis Championships at Cal State University, Los Angeles and the NCAA Men's Tennis Team Championship was won by conference member Long Beach State University lead by Fred Suessmann and Dennis Trout.^[48] From 1967 to 1973 the NCAA Men's Division II National Tennis Team Championship Title's went to a CCAA Conference member each year from those seven seasons with outstanding coaches within the conference like Long Beach State Coach Dan Campbell, Cal State Northridge Coach Dave Sterle, UC Irvine Coach Myron McNamara and Cal State Los Angeles Coach Scotty Deeds and that is why in the 1969 season again Titans Tennis Coach Dr. Michael Yessis said "We are in the toughest league in the State" second only to the Pac 8 Division I Men's Tennis Conference, really in the nation during that time period.^[49]

Standout Titan individual mens tennis performers in singles and doubles under Coach Dr. Michael Yessis tenure:

• Steve White '68

Coach Bob Osborn years (1970–1971)

The 1971 CSUF Men's team led by Bruce Westforth a transfer student athlete from Fullerton Junior College recorded the most wins in a season from when the program started in the early sixties to then with a record that season of (15 wins-12 losses) but had a losing record in there conference(1971 Conference Tennis Champion San Fernando Valley State College which is now known as Cal State Northridge Matadors) said Titans Coach Bob Osborn "You have to credit a strong conference and some good players" Osborn went on to say "We had a team with a good attitude and good efforts in every match".^[50] Osborn coached the Titan Men's team that one school year, he was also an assistant men's basketball coach under head coach Alex Omalev and was a graduate of Whittier College in 1958 where Osborn was "All-S.C.I.A.C. Honors" in basketball.^[51]

Coach Craig Neslage years (1971–1974)

The 1973 Titans team led by Coach Craig Neslage had quite a fiery tennis player named Oscar Meyer a Cal Poly Pomona Bronco transfer who played at the #1 position on the team for two years who was a former member of the Mexico's Davis Cup Team.^[52] Neslage who coached the Titans from 1971–1974 for three season's and one of his issues he tangled with was the fan area loyalty to the tennis program during those years he said "Fullerton area has no loyalty the problem is obvious he diagnose and confirmed the disease that has spread throughout at Fullerton" during his time period. Neslage was an outstanding fundraiser for the Titans Men's Tennis Program by the time he moved on after the 1974 season in his career he left the Program with a budget better than when he started with the Program, the next coach was in a better situation financially for the Program in 1975. Neslage was an All-American collegiate tennis player at UC Irvine during his playing days. After serving for his country in the Vietnam War the honorable veteran Paul McWherter came to play for the 1973–74 Titans after competing successfully for Bellevue Junior College in the State of Washington where he was the 1972–73 Junior College Singles & Doubles Champion there in the State a good find for Coach Craig Neslage and while playing one year at CSUF he played number #2 and #3 Singles for the Titans while playing with ambidextrous strokes and serving righthanded. One of Neslage's players Mark Hamilton '75 a few years after graduating from Fullerton went on to be the men's tennis coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders for seasons 1979 and 1980 and had a coaching record of 24 wins-29 losses during his two-year career there and also is recorded as being the 2nd men's coach in their history of there tennis program.^[53]

Standout Titan individual mens tennis performers in singles and doubles under Coach Craig Neslage tenure:

• 1972 Bruce Westforth
• 1973 Alan Foster, Dave Sallee
• 1974 Oscar Meyer

Coach Ron Witchey,(Emeritus) years (1974–1979)

Coach Jan Billings years (1979–1982)

Coach Ed Burt years (1982–1984)

Then came in toward the early mid-eighties was Coach Ed Burt who brought in a lot of talented good recruits and the tennis program was on the rise again with the additions of English junior college player by way of Florida Julian Lowin '85, Donny Young, South African player Craig McSmythe (1983 Ojai CIF H.S. Interscholastic Doubles Champion/The Wightman Cup/(Indio H.S.), William Schuster '85, Tim Macres, David Pratt and Everette Brunelle (1983 Ojai CIF H.S. Interscholastic Doubles Champion/The Wightman Cup/(Indio H.S.) the Titans added depth to their line up with these highly competitive players.^[57] These Titans teams were competing with collegiate tennis powerhouse's on their schedule like highly nationally ranked USC Trojans and also highly nationally ranked Pepperdine Waves along with San Diego State Aztecs, Boston University Terriers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Princeton Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, University of New Mexico Lobos, University of San Diego Toreros and PCAA Conference highly national ranked foes UC Irvine Anteaters and Long Beach State 49ers at the time, even Division III number one nationally ranked opponent University of Redlands Bulldogs was really good during that time period on the Titans schedule. During Burt's short tenure the Titans had many victories against very good competitive school's likely due to their recruits and their depth in the line up of the Titan team.

Coach Mike Muscare years (1985–1987)

The 1986 team was led by Fausto Bucheli '87 and had a new coach named Mike Muscare who last coached the season before for the CSUSB Coyotes but the season for the Titans had again a competitive Division I collegiate schedule with many tough opponents in their PCAA Conference. The 1987 team had better success of the 2 years coached by Muscare in which the Titan team had 15 victories on the season 3 of the victories the team beat military academies Army, Navy and Air Force and were led by #1 singles player Driss Benomar '88. Sanjeev Khanna '91 is the last known varsity intercollegiate Titan men's tennis player that played in the last season for the men's tennis program in 1987 for the CSUF varsity tennis team that competed in the PCAA Conference to have graduated from California State University, Fullerton.