Men's Tennis 3/20/2012 2:34:00 PM

Pete Kendall Announces His Retirement

Complete Release

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Truman Tennis Coach Pete Kendall has announced he will retire following the 2012 spring season. Kendall has been the head coach for the Bulldogs for the past 20 seasons.

Kendall's teams at Truman have won a combined 476 dual matches, two MIAA titles and made 13 NCAA appearances. Since taking over in 1992, the women's team has posted an overall record of 277-113 (.710) and has been 82-46 in conference dual matches.

From 1994-2000, the women won two MIAA championships (1995 & 1998) and qualified for the NCAA regional tournament. They have advanced to the NCAA regional in 2002, 2006 and following a school record 22-win season in 2008. He was named MIAA Women's Coach of the Year following the 1995 and 1998 season, had the MIAA Freshman of The Year (Lindsy Blair) in 2006 along with five winners of the MIAA Sportsmanship Award. Six women have earned first-team All-MIAA since it was incepted in 2003 and have had 13 individual and five conference doubles championships when the flighted format was used.

The men have an overall record of 199-157 (.559) over the past 20 years. They qualified for the NCAA tournament as a team in 1997 and again from 2004 through 2008. Six times during his tenure has a men's player earned the MIAA Sportsmanship Award while Steve Jones was a first-team all-conference performer at number six singles in 2005. Prior to the conference team format in deciding championships, Matt Saabye, Andrew Hellner and Erich Podzinski were all individual conference champions and Allen Darilek and Ken Klein were doubles champions in 1993.

“I want to thank my players, colleagues and friends here at Truman and in Kirksville for many memorable years,” said Coach Kendall. “The dedication of our student-athletes both on the courts and in the classrooms is remarkable and my wife Lynn and I have enjoyed the past 20 years of being a part of their lives.”

“Pete's dedication and hard work has served the University well the past 20 years,” said Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering. “His teams have always represented the University in a first class manner on an off the court. He has truly been a valuable team player for intercollegiate athletics and student-athletes at Truman.”

Academically at Truman, Kendall has had four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in Kelli Brady (1998), Nathan Artz (2001), Lindsy Blair (2009) and Peter Bracha (2009 & 2010) along with eight earned CoSIDA Academic All-District distinction.

Kendall came to Truman in 1992 following a four-year stint as head coach at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C.
During that time, the women posted a record of 63-27 and the men were 57-28 with six total conference titles and five coach of the year recognitions between the two programs.

From 1982-88, Kendall was the tennis specialist at the Bahrain Sport Institute and coached the Bahrain National Junior Tennis Team which won six Persian Gulf championships.

Between 1970-82, Kendall served as tennis coach, assistant professor of physical education, intramural director, assistant football coach, admissions counselor and director at William Penn University (Iowa). He was also the tennis pro at the Elmhurst Country Club in Oskaloosa. He was inducted into the William Penn Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 after winning the Iowa Conference singles title and being a three-time IC doubles champion as an undergraduate.

Kendall was a teacher and coach at West Muskingum schools in Zanesville, Ohio, from 1967-70 and in Leipsic, Ohio, from 1966-67.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from William Penn University and a Master of Arts degree from Ball State University (Ind.), both in physical education.

Pete and his wife of 45 years, Lynn, plan to retire to the Scottsdale, Arizona area.

Kendall's final home match will take place on April 14 at 2:00 p.m. against Washburn University (Kan.) and a retirement reception will be held following the spring tennis season.

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