1980s
The 1980’s were filled with individual successes but less victories as a team. In 1981, two different Trinity players were selected to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s top 50 Division I athletes. Both All-Americans, 11th ranked John Benson and 35th ranked Charles Honey, continued to destroy their competition even after the exiting of Coach Mabry. As time went on, the larger state schools received more funding, and Trinity University could not compete. As a result, the sports organizations faltered as they could not support their athletes the way that their larger counterparts could. In the late 1980’s, when most of the Trinity sports would make the transition to Division III, tennis stayed at the Division I level and remained there. Finally, in 1991, Trinity Tennis made the transition to Division III athletics and joined their fellow university athletes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Beginning in 1986, the previous stand-out player Butch Newman would take over the helm of the men’s program. Highly respected by his peers, Coach Newman was selected as the Intercollege Tennis Association’s Coach of the Year three times, and he led the team to 15 consecutive conference championships. A total of 51 players—27 men and 24 women—earned All-American accolades under Coach Newman’s instruction from 1989-2009. His time as a coach stretched across the Division I as well as the Division III levels. Newman played at Trinity back in the early 1960’s and was dubbed “iron man” because of his incredible singles record of 53-2. Even today, his record is still unbeaten. Newman played with legendary Tiger players such as Chuck McKinley and Cliff Buchholz in doubles competitions, in which his career record is 24-3. His unusual and cut throat playing style, as well as his endurance providing him with the ability to outlast his competition made him a very well-respected athlete and popular guy on campus.