How It Began

Aged 12 and living in small-town Alice, Texas, a young boy by the name of Clarence Mabry went to the store to buy a bicycle, but couldn’t afford it. “I wanted a bicycle, and sent in all the credits I got for selling the Saturday Evening Post, but I didn’t have enough coupons for a bicycle so I got a tennis racquet,” (Mabry’s interview with Advantage USPTA, September 2006).  By chance, on this day, Mabry had set his life up for success and greatness within the tennis world, and as they say, the rest is history. In college, Mabry was a standout at the University of Texas, winning the Southwest Conference singles and doubles titles and in 1997 was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor. 

A real people person, Mabry began training kids tennis camps in his spare time, and developed a real passion for coaching. Here in San Antonio, he would establish many strong relationships with his players as they noticeably became more skilled tennis players. It was obvious that he had a talent for developing players, but it was his man management skills that made this program successful, and upon taking the Trinity job in 1955 and having their first season in 56', what followed was undeniably brilliant.

In 1955 Mabry accepted the offer to begin a new era of sport at Trinity University and establish the men’s tennis program. As mentioned above, with no program currently established, Mabry had a big job on his hands; however what he did with this team within a matter of years was nothing short of miraculous. During his time as coach at Trinity, Mabry earned an overall record of 319-36, and an NCAA Division I National Championship in 1972, however it is what he did at an individual level that made his legacy so important. After a decent first season, everybody connected with Trinity University could recognize that something special was about to happen, and in the following years, great things happened on this campus that have so far yet to be replicated.