1957-1973 Coach Wilmer Allison- tennis
1957-1973 – COACH WILMER ALLISON
As a Tennis player for the Longhorns in the 1920s, Wilmer Allison was the National champion, only losing one set in his college career.
Allison was selected as a member of the UT Hall of Fame, The Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, the the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association Hall of Fame. In 1957 he was hired as head coach of the Longhorn tennis program. 4 Days after the Penick courts were renamed the Penick-Allison courts, Coach Allison passed away.
Wilmer Allison returned to the university in 1947 and served as Penick’s assistant until 1957. That year, he became the head tennis coach at the university, where he served until his retirement in 1972.
Here is a hilarious memo sent by Coach Wilmer Allison to the freshman class before the Orange-versus-White rival factions of the 1971 team to spur the team to higher performance. Team members cherish these special memories of playing for Texas under Allison’s guidance and leadership and with one another. The letter was sent to TLSN for sharing and safekeeping from Jim Bayless.
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He institutes a policy restricting athletic scholarships for tennis to players from Texas.
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He is the 1927 Southwest Conference singles champion and the national collegiate singles champion.
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As Coach he develops 4 SWC team champions and 4 runners-up.
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Coaches his team to three single titles and one doubles title.
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In honor of Allison, the “Penick Courts” at the University of Texas are renamed the “Penick-Allison Courts” in 1977.
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He is inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Longhorn Hall of Honor.
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In 1963 he enters the national and international halls of fame.
In Jack Kramer’s autobiography he says that “Wilmer Allison had the best forehand volley I ever saw”.
Sammy Giammalva is a ITA All American and a Davis Cup participant.
1957 29-1 Coach Wilmer Allison pending
Sam Giammalva is runner up in singles at the NCAA championship. Giammalva and Richard Keeton lose in the doubles semi-final round at the NCAA championship.
Team is ranked 3rd –
1958 24-12 Coach Wilmer Allison pending
Sammy Giammalva struggles but recovers and the team wins the SWC championship and wins the singles and doubles championship.
1959 28-8 Coach Wilmer Allison Pending
Richard Keeton was the number 1 man on the team . Team placed 2nd in the SWC with runner up positions in singles and doubles.
Longhorn Logo Tennis 1959
1959 -1960 30-6 Coach Wilmer Allison Pending
Texas finished 2nd in the SWC losing 4 matches to SMU and 2 to Rice.
Team is ranked 4th- There is still no NCAA tournament to determine a national champion.
Neil Unterseher loses in the quarterfinals of the singles NCAA championship.
1960- 1961 33-3 Coach Wilmer Allison SWC champs
This was an outstanding team with great Leadership from White and Neil Unterseher. The Longhorns dominated the SWC members beating Rice 5-1, A & M 6-0, Texas Tech 6-0, and SMU 5-1.
1960-1961 Tennis front, Unterseher, Penick, Meadows, Ament back- Heath, Sparks, Allison, Kamrath, White
SWC Champions
Team is ranked 13th nationally – no NCAA tournament
John White is an ITA All American
1961-1962 27-9 Coach Wilmer Allison Pending
Team is ranked 13th nationally and 2nd in the SWC. The team was led by Mac White and Neil Unterseher
1963 32-4 Coach Wilmer Allison 32-4 SWC Champs
Kamrath, Matsen, Willerrson, Allison, Laurence Albert Becker, Heath, Sparks, Walters
Coach Penick says that Walters has no weaknesses. He even has more accolades for Jackie Kamrath. Allison says “the smartest tennis player I’ve ever coached….He’s a good tactician; he can think, both on and off the court.” He has all the shots and the brains.
1963 NCAA Tennis Championship
Season started awful with losses to Pan American, Trinity, St. Edward, and the University of Corpus christi. Team finally got on court against SWC foes and barely won the championship over Rice.
Team is ranked 24th nationally
1964 26-10 Coach Wilmer Allison pending
Strayhorn, Walters, Kamrath, Lutz, And Wickett photo is above
Team is ranked 8th nationally
Top of the Charts 1964
1965 24-12 Coach Wilmer Allison pending
David Nelson – a sophomore- shines this season. Team finishes second in conference play with Bill Driscoll and Leo Laborde having a 4-2 single conference record. In 5 years as Tennis Coach, Wilmer Allison has a 142-38 conference record and two SWC championships.
Driscoll , Marshall, Dullnig, Nelson back row Laborde, Gorski, and Langdon
1966- 24-12 Coach Wilmer Allison pending
Longhorns finished 3rd in the conference.
Coach Allison record keeping on scholarship money spent.
Team is ranked 20th nationally – no NCAA tournament
TOPPING THE CHARTS 1966
1967- 28-8 Coach Wilmer SWC champions
Beat Baylor by one point to win the SWC championship.
SWC Champions
Team is ranked 24th nationally
1968- 17-19 Coach Wilmer Allison – A rebuilding year 4th in SWC
Topping the Charts
Annual salary for Coach Allison $3100
1969- 24-10 Coach Wilmer Allison-Pending
Team is ranked 13th nationally
1970- 20-16 Coach Wilmer Allison Pending
Team is ranked 18th
1971- 27-15 Coach Wilmer Allison 3rd in SWC
Wilmer Allison’s humorous memo
Here is a hilarious memo sent by Coach Wilmer Allison to the Orange-versus-White rival factions of the 1971 team to spur the team to higher performance. Team members cherish these special memories of playing for Texas under Allison’s guidance and leadership and with one another.
Document Compliments of Jim Bayless
This year was a feast or famine. There were no senior starters. They only lost one game in winning against 4 SWC opponents but lost all matches against two SWC opponents.
The team is ranked 36th
1972- 29-13 Coach Wilmer Allison 3rd in Conference
SWC Champions
The team is ranked 3rd in the nation
Longhorns lost both the singles and doubles matches at the SWC meet.
The team is ranked 18th
1973- 33-16 Coach Snyder Pending
Texas was 7-1 in SWC dual meets, but the Conference determined the standing on the number of individual matches won, and Texas’s 33-16 mark placed them 3rd in the Conference. Dan Nelson, the MVP, Ron Touchon, and Graham Wahling were the Longhorn top three seeds. Snyder said that this team played to its potential when they were 7-1.
Document compliments of Jim Bayless
Team is ranked 11th
Tennis Links at the Stark Center
Bruce Parkhouse Barnes was an American tennis pro whose career bridged top-flight college play and the early professional tennis tours of the 1930s and 1940s. Born November 24, 1909 in Austin, Texas, Barnes attended the University of Texas and was a part of Dr. Daniel Penick’s powerhouse teams. He dominated the Southwest Conference and was singles and doubles champion from 1929-1931. Barnes won the 1931 NCAA Doubles Title with Karl Kamrath and was the 1931 NCAA Singles Finalist. He was an early pioneer of the professional tennis tour and competed alongside tennis greats like Bill Tilden, Ellsworth Vines, Fred Perry, George Lott, and Donald Budge. Known as a gritty, all-court competitor, he won several premier events, including the U.S. National Pro Doubles (1932, ’34, ’39), World Pro Doubles with Bill Tilden in 1933, National Open Singles (1938), and National Professional Singles (1943). Barnes was named the Davis Cup Coach in 1939. He was inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor, as well as the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and featured for his unbeaten college dual-match record and long professional career (1932-1943). Bruce Barnes passed away on March 12, 1990 and this scrapbook was generously donated by his sons Byron and Bruce in 2019.
