Interview With Butch Newman

This is a picture of the 1972 Men's Tennis Team, found in the items section of the Trinity University Athletics Histories.

I interviewed Butch Newman, a Trinity Tennis legend, over email. I asked him specifically what made Trinity Tennis so dominant in the 1960s and 70s, and asked to provide an example as to why they are such a deep team. He responded with an anecdote from the 1972 season. In it, Trinity could only send 4 players to the NCAA Championships, but they had at least 5 in contention that could go and win. Trinity chose their four players, and instead of going to the NCAA finals, the fifth went on to go and make the round of 16 at Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament in the world. 

This is the best example of depth that could possibly be found in a team. That team was so dominant because even though their starters were superstars, their bench players were pushing them hard to be the absolute best they could be at all times. With their positions constantly being challenged, the best players on the team had to play their best, and could not become complacent. This is how the best dynasties are formed: with quality players that push the stars to be the absolute best and win as often as possible.