2008 Woodie Awards
Varsity sport missing from the court
Where did CU men's tennis go?
Ron Knabenbauer
Issue date: 10/14/08 Section: Sports
The sports program at the University of Colorado has had a long and successful story.
However, the university used to offer more sports than it does today, such as wrestling, baseball and men's tennis.
In May of 2006, the university's athletic department finalized a decision to eliminate the men's tennis program from Colorado's Division I sports. It was a decision that Athletic Director Mike Bohn said he didn't want to make.
"The athletic department was facing major challenges financially, and our physical fund balance was to the point where we had to change the way we were running our program and shorten our sales on far as the number of sports that we were sponsored, and unfortunately, the men's tennis program was eliminated," Bohn said.
Bohn said that after looking for ways to save the program, the financial realities forced the department's decision, and the team was informed of their fate before the start of the Big 12 season at the end of March 2006.
However, if the team could raise one million dollars by May 13 of that year, the necessary funds to cover expenses, the program would be kept around for a minimum of three more years.
"It would have been a significant part of helping the program for about a three year period," Bohn said. "The important thing is to try and support our teams with the resources for them to be competitive, and that was certainly a minimum amount of level, but that would have provided a three year operating revenue for them."
In the end, the team couldn't raise the necessary funds, but they did get close in the short time that they had to fundraise.
"Raising over $600,000 in only six weeks showed that the community was committed to keeping the program," said Sam Winterbotham, the men's tennis coach during their final season.
Winterbotham, now the head coach for the men's tennis team at the University of Tennessee, said he was disappointed about the athletic department's decision to eliminate the program, but understands why a decision like that had to be made.
"I don't agree with Mike Bohn's decision, but I understand where he was coming from," Winterbotham said. "He doesn't want to be a person that cuts things, he want to be a person that grows things."
The decision made by Bohn and the rest of the department was a difficult one, and one that Bohn said they still wish they didn't have to make.
"It was extremely difficult - it was a very emotional decision, and disappointing," Bohn said. "Any time you go backwards and eliminate a program, you recognize that it may be a long time before you can restore it. We don't take those decisions lightly and hopefully we'll never have to do something like that in the future."
When the news hit the players, Winterbotham said there was at first a lack of motivation to finish the season strong, but the thought of finishing out with a great season forced them not to quit.
"The players were proud, as was I, to represent CU," Winterbotham said. "They gave their heart and soul to CU, and they weren't going to quit. No lack of motivation, they were committed to having a great season before the decision, and it didn't change after it was made."
Boulder native Chad Tsuda, a senior on that 2006 team, said that the team kept going because of how Winterbotham made the team believe they were going to finish with a great season and save the program.
"Our coaches, Sam and Albin Polonyi at the time, did a great job of pulling us together and making us believe that we could have a great year," Tsuda said. "(Winterbotham) was always positive about raising money and that we were going to keep the team, which I think kept us positive as well. Just having the leader at the top, being such a good role model, and being positive that we were going to keep the program kept us motivated."
That season, the men's tennis team finished with one of best records in years and achieved their first 20-win season since 1997.
Tsuda said making it to the round of 32 in the National Tournament will always be something he will remember.
"Making it to the round of 32 in the NCAA's, going to UCLA, and just playing in a big stadium and a big time school is a memory I won't forget," said Tsuda, who is currently in his first year coaching men's tennis at his other alma mater, Fairview High School in Boulder.
Prior to its demise, the men's tennis program had been associated with the university since 1914, but the sport wasn't documented in the CU history books until 1948.
The team won five conference championships, including four in the 1950s, and 14 singles and 10 doubles conference championships throughout the program's history.
The program saw some amazingly talented athletes play on its court including Bill Brawer (1974-78), James Johnson (1986-90), Rolf Andersch (1991-95) and Tsuda (2002-06), who ranks ninth all-time in the school's singles wins.
Tsuda said his time at Colorado was the best learning experience he has had in his time playing the sport.
"It's probably the best learning experience I've had growing not only as an individual being in college, but understanding what it meant to be a true team," Tsuda said. "I think the last year for sure with all the conflict we had to overcome we became a real team.
The program has also had some great coaches during its existence, including Dick Gray (1945-67), who coached 22 years at CU and finished with an all time record of 122-83-7, Ron Smarr (1987-97), who coached 10 years at Colorado and finished with a record of 195-99 and Winterbotham who seemed to be moving the program in the right direction.
After three losing seasons to start his tenure, Winterbotham's team posted a 20-9 record in his last season, and brought the team to the round of 32 where they would eventually lose to the defending 2005 national champions, the UCLA Bruins.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association took notice of Winterbotham's accomplishments and honored him the Wilson/ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year. Winterbotham's awards didn't end there, as he was also named the 2006 Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Winterbotham said he credits his coaching ability to his time at Baylor University before he was hired at Colorado.
"I was at Baylor for three years, one of them as a volunteer coach, and I was just mentored by one of the best coaches in the country in Matt Knoll," Winterbotham said.
Though the relationship between the men's tennis program and the athletic department had a disappointing ending, Winterbotham said he had a great experience in Boulder and never thought they weren't supported by community or the athletic department.
"It was a fantastic experience," Winterbotham said. "It's a great school, a great place to live, and a tremendous athletic department. The athletic department was very supportive, and I never felt we weren't supported."
Though for the time being the university only sports a women's tennis team, Bohn said he is confident that men's tennis will return to the program, as well as other sports.
"We're hopeful that we will be in an environment where there is enough resources to not only bolster our existing sports to the level that they need to be after numerous years of cuts, but also begin to explore in adding men's tennis and an additional women's sport," Bohn said.
Men's tennis may return to CU and make new memories for coaches and players, but Winterbotham said he will always remember the commitment and effort of his players during his time in Boulder.
"Their character was phenomenal, and that last year summed up my experience at the program," Winterbotham said. "The commitment of the players, the commitment of the community and the commitment of the athletic department is something I will always remember."
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ron Knabenbauer at ronald.knabenbauer@colorado.edu.
However, the university used to offer more sports than it does today, such as wrestling, baseball and men's tennis.
In May of 2006, the university's athletic department finalized a decision to eliminate the men's tennis program from Colorado's Division I sports. It was a decision that Athletic Director Mike Bohn said he didn't want to make.
"The athletic department was facing major challenges financially, and our physical fund balance was to the point where we had to change the way we were running our program and shorten our sales on far as the number of sports that we were sponsored, and unfortunately, the men's tennis program was eliminated," Bohn said.
Bohn said that after looking for ways to save the program, the financial realities forced the department's decision, and the team was informed of their fate before the start of the Big 12 season at the end of March 2006.
However, if the team could raise one million dollars by May 13 of that year, the necessary funds to cover expenses, the program would be kept around for a minimum of three more years.
"It would have been a significant part of helping the program for about a three year period," Bohn said. "The important thing is to try and support our teams with the resources for them to be competitive, and that was certainly a minimum amount of level, but that would have provided a three year operating revenue for them."
In the end, the team couldn't raise the necessary funds, but they did get close in the short time that they had to fundraise.
"Raising over $600,000 in only six weeks showed that the community was committed to keeping the program," said Sam Winterbotham, the men's tennis coach during their final season.
Winterbotham, now the head coach for the men's tennis team at the University of Tennessee, said he was disappointed about the athletic department's decision to eliminate the program, but understands why a decision like that had to be made.
"I don't agree with Mike Bohn's decision, but I understand where he was coming from," Winterbotham said. "He doesn't want to be a person that cuts things, he want to be a person that grows things."
The decision made by Bohn and the rest of the department was a difficult one, and one that Bohn said they still wish they didn't have to make.
"It was extremely difficult - it was a very emotional decision, and disappointing," Bohn said. "Any time you go backwards and eliminate a program, you recognize that it may be a long time before you can restore it. We don't take those decisions lightly and hopefully we'll never have to do something like that in the future."
When the news hit the players, Winterbotham said there was at first a lack of motivation to finish the season strong, but the thought of finishing out with a great season forced them not to quit.
"The players were proud, as was I, to represent CU," Winterbotham said. "They gave their heart and soul to CU, and they weren't going to quit. No lack of motivation, they were committed to having a great season before the decision, and it didn't change after it was made."
Boulder native Chad Tsuda, a senior on that 2006 team, said that the team kept going because of how Winterbotham made the team believe they were going to finish with a great season and save the program.
"Our coaches, Sam and Albin Polonyi at the time, did a great job of pulling us together and making us believe that we could have a great year," Tsuda said. "(Winterbotham) was always positive about raising money and that we were going to keep the team, which I think kept us positive as well. Just having the leader at the top, being such a good role model, and being positive that we were going to keep the program kept us motivated."
That season, the men's tennis team finished with one of best records in years and achieved their first 20-win season since 1997.
Tsuda said making it to the round of 32 in the National Tournament will always be something he will remember.
"Making it to the round of 32 in the NCAA's, going to UCLA, and just playing in a big stadium and a big time school is a memory I won't forget," said Tsuda, who is currently in his first year coaching men's tennis at his other alma mater, Fairview High School in Boulder.
Prior to its demise, the men's tennis program had been associated with the university since 1914, but the sport wasn't documented in the CU history books until 1948.
The team won five conference championships, including four in the 1950s, and 14 singles and 10 doubles conference championships throughout the program's history.
The program saw some amazingly talented athletes play on its court including Bill Brawer (1974-78), James Johnson (1986-90), Rolf Andersch (1991-95) and Tsuda (2002-06), who ranks ninth all-time in the school's singles wins.
Tsuda said his time at Colorado was the best learning experience he has had in his time playing the sport.
"It's probably the best learning experience I've had growing not only as an individual being in college, but understanding what it meant to be a true team," Tsuda said. "I think the last year for sure with all the conflict we had to overcome we became a real team.
The program has also had some great coaches during its existence, including Dick Gray (1945-67), who coached 22 years at CU and finished with an all time record of 122-83-7, Ron Smarr (1987-97), who coached 10 years at Colorado and finished with a record of 195-99 and Winterbotham who seemed to be moving the program in the right direction.
After three losing seasons to start his tenure, Winterbotham's team posted a 20-9 record in his last season, and brought the team to the round of 32 where they would eventually lose to the defending 2005 national champions, the UCLA Bruins.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association took notice of Winterbotham's accomplishments and honored him the Wilson/ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year. Winterbotham's awards didn't end there, as he was also named the 2006 Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Winterbotham said he credits his coaching ability to his time at Baylor University before he was hired at Colorado.
"I was at Baylor for three years, one of them as a volunteer coach, and I was just mentored by one of the best coaches in the country in Matt Knoll," Winterbotham said.
Though the relationship between the men's tennis program and the athletic department had a disappointing ending, Winterbotham said he had a great experience in Boulder and never thought they weren't supported by community or the athletic department.
"It was a fantastic experience," Winterbotham said. "It's a great school, a great place to live, and a tremendous athletic department. The athletic department was very supportive, and I never felt we weren't supported."
Though for the time being the university only sports a women's tennis team, Bohn said he is confident that men's tennis will return to the program, as well as other sports.
"We're hopeful that we will be in an environment where there is enough resources to not only bolster our existing sports to the level that they need to be after numerous years of cuts, but also begin to explore in adding men's tennis and an additional women's sport," Bohn said.
Men's tennis may return to CU and make new memories for coaches and players, but Winterbotham said he will always remember the commitment and effort of his players during his time in Boulder.
"Their character was phenomenal, and that last year summed up my experience at the program," Winterbotham said. "The commitment of the players, the commitment of the community and the commitment of the athletic department is something I will always remember."
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ron Knabenbauer at ronald.knabenbauer@colorado.edu.
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