"The Father of Trinity Tennis"

Mabry's overall coaching record of 319 wins and 36 losses is more than incredible. So how did he become so successful? Mabry was not so much a tactical genius, but more of an inspirational coach. He knew how to get the best out of players and make players understand how to be successful in the sport. Just like mentioned on the previous page, he began coaching kids at summer youth camps in San Antonio. During these camps, Mabry would emphasize that self-discipline and hard work are the key implementers for success. It would be these philosophies thathe would carry into his collegiate coaching career that would lead to a historical run of wins, a national championship, and many All-Americans.

One of the players that Mabry developed into a star was current Director of Tennis at Trinity, Butch Newman. Newman, who graduated in 1965, was a two-time All-American and inducted into the Trinity Hall of Fame in 2005. He also captained the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team and played at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Newman also coached the Trinity men’s tennis team between 1986-2009 and the women between 1991-2008. Speaking with Coach Newman, there is a lot to learn about what made Clarence Mabry a legendary coach. Something that Coach Newman wanted to emphasize was the care he had for his players. He was always there for them, and always approached adversity with a positive attitude. It was as if tennis took a backseat for Mabry. The result mattered less than the actions of his players and how they played, or reacted to their game."You always wanted to win for him," he said. Newman had known Mabry since he was young, and as he grew older and developed his tennis game, Mabry played an increasingly important role in Newman's life, who he said had a father-figure like role in his life, due to the care he had for Newman off the court as well as off it.