1991 women’s golf, Jim Bayless tennis, and The Bridge builder

The TLSN website and newsletter are free, educational, historical, and insightful, sharing Longhorn sports history through the eyes of those who created it.

Tim Taylor’s before and after Longhorn football game analysis is at:

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/tim-taylor-football-gameday-analysis

Jim Bayless – Author, Lawyer, and Tennis Historian

Last year I had lunch with Jim Bayless, a former Longhorn tennis star in the early-’70s. Jim, ever the optimist, says of aging’s annoyances, “The good news is that as your vision deteriorates, your insight improves.” Indeed, wisdom and reflection are both parts of getting older.

Jim credits his successful life to the education received, friendships made, and two outstanding tennis coaches at UT. Wilmer Allison, a Longhorn tennis legend with delightful wit, was also a mentor to many of his players. His successor, Dave Snyder, likewise a product of the UT tennis program himself, instilled a competitive spirit in his teams while exemplifying sportsmanship and humility.

Both men were exceptional coaches, but they were “even better at molding young men for good. Tennis was just their stealth vehicle for pulling it off.”

Jim shares with readers, viewers, and listeners a three-dimensional story of a 100 plus years of Longhorn men’s tennis under Coaches Penick, Allison, and Snyder. Combining text, visuals, and audio, Jim discusses UT tennis as sculpted by these great coaches.

The text and visuals are divided into two parts. Part I celebrates Coach Penick’s and Coach Allison’s contributions to the Longhorn tennis program.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/part-1-jim-bayless-game-set-match-coach-allison

Part II celebrates Coach Snyder with a particular emphasis on 1973. An exciting year in the history of Longhorn tennis. The Longhorn’s added the 12th man to the team. Who was undefeated when asked to play and who was an influential political leader in later years. He is top left in the photo below.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/part-2-jim-bayless-game-set-match-coach-snyder

The 12th man?

1992- Coach Weis team was 6th in the Nation

Jenny Turner was the top Longhorn finisher at the NCAA tournament .

Nadine Ash (1992-1993) – Conference player of the year.

Nadine Cooper, as a Sophomore, walks on and wins a place on the team. Nadine learned golf from Harvey Penick, and she, Nadine Ash, and Nicole Cooper join the United States team at the World University Golf Championship in Madrid, Spain. Nicole won the tournament, and the United States won as a team.

DKR THE BRIDGE BUILDER

Royal’s most enduring legacy is building bridges for young Longhorn dreamers to cross. I am a product of his legacy. As a young man with dreams of greatness, Coach Royal built a bridge for me to travel so I could have the chance to fulfill my dreams. In me, he saw a young man who thought he was bigger and faster than he was and nurtured those beliefs. I did not fulfill my goal of greatness as a Longhorn athlete, but I did enjoy contributing and being part of a great team. Dream denied, I still crossed the bridge Royal built for me and found on the other side new dreams that resulted in fulfillment in different forms. In life, that is all a bridge-builder can do.

David McWilliams gives full credit to Royal for building the bridge he crossed. David says, “I played for him, and I learned a lot from him,” McWilliams says, “He was a great help to me in my coaching career and my life. What he did for me when my mother died is something I have never forgotten.” “Mostly, what I got from him was not X’s and O’s. It was more about the way he handled people. You learn a lot from him that doesn’t have anything to do with football. “

For more information on DKR- the Bridge Builder, please visit the link below:

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/dkr-the-bridge-builder

Also listen to Coach Royal recite the Bridge Builder by Will Allen Dromgoole. Click on the link below scroll down to the video with Willie Nelson and then go to the 5:45 minute mark.

https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/build-it-and-they-will-come

TLSN is an independent organization celebrating Longhorn Sports History and assisting qualifying Horns who need temporary financial assistance.

The TLSN website and newsletter are free, educational, historical, and insightful sharing Longhorn sports history through the eyes of those who created it.

TLSN is not associated with the UT Athletics Department or any organization closely aligned with UT.

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