KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan Athletics will induct the 2015 Hall of Fame class on Friday, Oct. 9 at the Fetzer Center and this week wmubroncos.com will take a look at each of our inductees: Vinton Bennett (men's track & field), Shelly Klare (women's basketball), Bob Learman (men's tennis), Eldon Miller (men's basketball), Robert Sanford (football) and Kelly Thayer (softball).
BOB LEARMAN JR.
A native of Bay City, Mich., Learman set the WMU record for career wins with 144. In his time with the Broncos from 1975-78, Learman was named to the All-MAC team three straight years from 1976-78. He captured the MAC doubles title with partner Tony Lamerato as a sophomore in 1976 and won the MAC singles championship as a senior in 1978. He earned an invitation to the NCAA Tennis Championships in 1975 in singles and doubles and was invited again in 1975 in singles. He was inducted into the Bay Country Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Q & A with Bob Learman
Q: What is your favorite memory from your time at WMU?
A: From a tennis perspective, during my junior year we beat Miami of Ohio on their home court 5-4. They were the defending MAC Champions and had won 46 straight MAC dual matches. Their senior No. 1 player Steve Kendall (a four time MAC Champion) was the returning No.1 MAC Singles Champion. I beat him in three sets in singles and then my doubles partner Jim Buck and I beat him again in a very close three set match, with the team score already tied at 4-4. It was a great team victory and my parents had driven down from Michigan and were there to share the memory with us.
During that same year I beat an All-American from California at the NCAA Tennis Tournament in Georgia and that was a great way to end my junior season.
Q: Why did you choose to come to WMU?
A: I really liked Kalamazoo and the City had a great tennis reputation. Kalamazoo hosted the USTA National Boys 18 and under Tennis Championships and is also where I won the Class C State High School Championship my senior year in High School. Coach Vredevelt had a wonderful reputation as a player and a Coach and he convinced me that WMU was going to have a strong team based on his recruitment efforts. In addition, I was really looking forward to playing with Tony Lamerato, the schools then No. 1 player who was a very highly ranked player from the Detroit area.
Q: What was it like when you were told you were being inducted to the WMU Hall of Fame?
A: I was totally surprised as its been many years since I competed (rackets were made of wood when I played!) and it really hasn't sunk in yet, but I feel extremely honored. It has caused me to reflect on all of the fun and success the team had and those are great memories to recall.
Coach Vredevelt never scheduled matches with schools we could easily beat because he wanted us to be ready for conference play. Some of my best memories are from our Spring Trips. In addition to many of the Big Ten Teams we played against some great Division One competition and got to visit some very prominent schools such as Kentucky, Duke, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and North Carolina.
Q: Who made your time at WMU memorable?
A: My tennis teammates (Jim Buck, Fritz Dwyer and Jim Panyard) and my lifelong friend Bo Miller. We shared many great times socializing at school, traveling to various colleges competing in tennis and even got to know each other's parents extremely well. Your friends should motivate, support and inspire you, this crew always did, and we remain close to this day despite living in different states.
Q: What would you say to a young tennis player coming into WMU hoping to achieve what you have?
A: Four things come immediately to mind:
1. You only improve if you are playing top competition regularly. Practice with people who can beat you whenever possible. Eventually when you start beating them your confidence grows and you start to realize that every match is winnable. It's the old adage, you're only as good as you think you are.
2. Work on your weaknesses as much as on your strengths. I had a very good serve and volley game when I arrived at WMU because I spent hours serving at strategically placed tennis ball cans when I was growing up. When I got to WMU, Coach Vredevelt converted me from a one-handed to a two-handed back hand and made me focus on my return of serve. This made me a much more complete and balanced player.
3. here is no substitute for conditioning. There is no clock in tennis, you play until someone wins. In a long hard fought match the best conditioned player has a significant advantage.
4. Have fun and savor every practice and every match because four years goes by incredibly fast.
