Legends of Ky Tennis the Hall of Fame Series podcast

The Legends of Kentucky Tennis, The Hall of Fame Series is an intimate conversation with Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame inductees. Conversations recalling memories and insight to tennis in Kentucky today hosted by the University of Kentucky former Head Tennis Coach of over 30 years, Dennis Emery. Under Coach Emery's leadership, his team made 23 NCAA appearances with 11 Sweet 16 and 4 Elite Eight finishes His team also saw three Final Fours at the National Team Indoor. Dennis is a Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame member and a prolific promoter of tennis in Kentucky he also served as tournament director for 18 years for the National Collegiate Team Indoor Championships in Louisville and was the founder of the 28 years and running 100k Lexington Pro Circuit Challenger.

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Colleen Jones Underhill 03/22/2024

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Colleen Jones Underhill In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Colleen Jones Underhill. Colleen was the number one ranked Kentucky Jr. female player for several years as well as securing a top 10 ranking in USTA Southern. She played for Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville where she was Kentucky High School State Champion and female player of the year. She continued her successful tennis career as number one singles at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Underhill continued to play competitively as an adult and has been a teaching tennis pro, and coach at her high school alma mater. She and her husband Todd are very philanthropically active in tennis and are principal donors of the Underhill Tennis Complex at Sacred Heart Academy and the Miami University outdoor tennis complex. She speaks about why that was important to her. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/30501733

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Rex Ecarma 11/07/2023

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Rex Ecarma In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Rex Ecarma. Rex Ecarma is a legendary figure in Kentucky collegiate tennis circles. He built the University of Louisville tennis program from playing their home matches at Triangle Park to the Bass Rudd Tennis Center on the U of L Campus. He coached Michael Mather to the NCAA quarterfinals and then a berth on the US National Team. He also led Austin Childs to the 2011 NCAA singles finalist. His teams qualified for numerous NCAA championships. Rex, a Louisville native and U of L Lettermen tells his story. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/28548176

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend John Herring 04/28/2023

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend John Herring In today's Legends of Kentucky Tennnis Dennis Emery talks with John Herring. Herring speaks about growing up in tennis and his many roles in the game. He has been USTA Kentucky Board President and serves on the USTA Southern and National Boards. He is one of the most successful senior players nationally in the history of the state and talks about how he was a late bloomer in the game competitively. He talks about his great success as a high school coach and introducing hundreds of young players to the game with his wife Christy, who is a superstar in her own right, promoting and providing tennis in the schools and parks. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/26684649

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Greg Hill 02/27/2023

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Greg Hill In today's Legends of Kentucky Tennnis Dennis Emery talks with Greg Hill Hill emerges from Henderson Kentucky in the mid-80s and became a top southern and national player. Hill talks about his collegiate career at Texas A&M where he was their first NCAA All-American, and his professional career which included wins over players like Agassi. He speaks about what it was like to be the number two man for Nick Bollettieri for many years He served as coach for Williams, Sharapova, Kournikova, and several other world number ones From Henderson to Wimbledon Greg tells the inside story. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/26058768

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Kevin Collins 11/22/2022

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Kevin Collins In today’s Legends of Kentucky Tennis Dennis Emery talks with Kevin Collins. Kevin Collins is the patriarch of one of Kentucky’s leading tennis families He and his wife Sandy have been involved in all aspects of Kentucky tennis for 40 years. Kevin has won numerous senior level events and has sponsored numerous high level tennis tournaments. In addition, their children have won high level state events. This podcast speaks to the benefits of tennis for the entire family. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/25097661

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Vimal Patel 09/13/2022

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Vimal Patel In today’s Legends of Kentucky Tennis Dennis Emery talks with Vimal Patel. Hear Vimal Patel’s story of his journey from the public courts of Owensboro to the best tennis venues in the world as a professional. Along the way he trained with Joan Ramey Ford, international coaching icon Rick Macci, and college tennis greatest coach ever Dick Gould. This podcast includes his impressions of his game, his development as a player, and his rise to number two in the US junior rankings and an NCAA Team Championship and Doubles Finalist finish. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/24360525

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Mel Purcell 08/09/2022

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Mel Purcell Mel Purcell is simply the best player in the history of Kentucky tennis. This podcast details his rise from Murray Kentucky to Wimbledon. Along the way he talks about his legendary father Bennie Purcell and winning the NCAA DOUBLES for the University of Tennessee. At multiple times, Purcell was a member of the ATP top twenty. He details his matches and relationships with the world’s best players including McEnroe, Connors, and Lendl. This is a must listen for those who care about the history of tennis in Kentucky /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/24006717

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Jack Ditty 06/15/2022

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Jack Ditty Jack Ditty is one of eastern Kentucky’s all time tennis legends. He is a tireless promoter of USTA events and women’s $60,000 events. He has been the tournament director for the $60,000 events, most recently the Braidy Industries Women’s Tennis Classic, a USTA Pro Circuit event. The podcast includes the story of his daughter Julie’s rise to an NCAA final and top 100 rankings on the WTA tour in singles and doubles. Ditty describes running local journey clinics to watching his daughter play Venus and Serena at Wimbledon. This podcast is a virtual history tennis in Kentucky. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/23440493

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend John English Part 2 01/12/2022

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend John English Part 2 Second of a two-part series, John English details the history of the Louisville Tennis Classic which featured all the greats. English's brother Sam envisioned the event and made it happen. Building a new facility near the Louisville Zoo, battling the weather, and gaining the support of politicians in the state including a young Mitch McConnell. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/21752456

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend John English 12/07/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend John English Dennis Emery talks with John English. This is the first conversation in a two-part series. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/21412655

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Susan Sloane 10/20/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Susan Sloane Susan Sloane is the best player the state of Kentucky has ever produced. She was a child prodigy winning the National championships in the Girls 12 and ranked top 20 in the world on the WTA Tour for three consecutive years. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/20886707

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Charles Beckman 08/03/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Charles Beckman Dennis Emery talks with Charles Beckman. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/20020352

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Matthew Emery 06/28/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Matthew Emery Matthew Emery who was ranked as high as number 1 in the US at times when he was 16, 17, and 18 years old. He ranked #15 - ITF world rankings/singles & #18/doubles. His junior career highlights - winning US National Clay Court championships & upsetting the #1 seed in the 1st round of the Wimbledon 2001 jr championships. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/19629944

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Susan Nolan McNeill 05/26/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Susan Nolan McNeill Susan Nolan McNeill, originally from Louisville Kentucky, was a leading jr player in KY & Southern section. She was one of the first scholarship players at UK where she played in the top two spots. Susan went on to play throughout her life at a high-level in USTA Southern events. In this podcast, she discusses the Louisville female tennis scene in the 1970s. She also discusses coaches who influenced her game and what they meant to her career and why she has had such a lifetime passion for the game. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/19253771

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Eric Quigley 04/28/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Eric Quigley Dennis Emery talks with Eric Quigley - one of the best tennis players in Kentucky. Eric won 4 consecutive state high school tennis championships and never lost a match in high school. He played at the University of Kentucky reaching the 2012 NCAA singles final and concluded his career as the all-time winningest player in college tennis history – 171 singles wins. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/18898772

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Julie Ditty Qualls 04/05/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Julie Ditty Qualls In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Julie Ditty Qualls. Julie is recognized as the second-best singles player and the best doubles player the state has ever produced on the national scene. Her professional career included top 100 rankings on the WTA tour in both singles and doubles. A winner at every level, she led Vanderbilt to the NCAA team final, won multiple gold balls at the junior level, and is the all-time tournament championship winner on the USTA pro circuit tour with over 30 championships. Julie discusses what it meant to her career to grow up in Ashland Kentucky, the influence of her family in her career, and her continued passion for the sport. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/18606266

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Gary Plock 03/18/2021

Conversation with Kentucky Tennis Legend Gary Plock In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Gary Plock. /episode/index/show/legendsofkytennisthehalloffameseries/id/18377906

Legends of Ky Tennis the Hall of Fame Series podcast

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