MURRAY — Over the years, there have been numerous occasions where sports fans have delved deep into the past of their teams and emerged with comments such as “I didn’t know that!” “You mean, we really were that good?” “Our program was that once?!!!”
That does not only apply to programs still going today. Sadly, there are others that no longer exist, usually due to budget cuts. While many of the athletes who produced those long-forgotten moments are still living and can give eyewitness accounts, it is as if only their spirits remains at the actual places where they exhibited greatness.
Murray State’s men’s tennis program could qualify in this discussion. In fact, it used to be one of those programs after budget cuts caused it to flat line in 2016. However, that heartbeat never stopped.
There always was a yearning from a faction on the campus to restore it. Early last month, that heartbeat received the shock it needed when the Board of Regents ended the period of dormancy by restoring the program.
“It’s definitely exciting to have it back,” said Mel Purcell, son of longtime Racers Head Coach Bennie Purcell, the man for whom the university’s home tennis venue is named. Mel assumed the command in 1995 and stayed with the program until its final year, ‘16.
Bennie took the men’s job in 1969 and proceeded to win 10 straight Ohio Valley Conference titles. Mel added two more in the 2000s.
“He’d be happy with (the program returning),” Mel said of his father, who set an NCAA record in the 1980s when the men won 59 conference matches in a row.
However, Mel is quick to show that tennis at Murray State was a big deal well before his dad and himself even became part of Murray State’s tennis story.
The first men’s tennis Hall of Famer, in fact, took a similar path to Bennie. John Powless came to Murray State as a highly-recruited basketball player from Flora, Illinois, almost next door to Bennie’s hometown of Mount Vernon.
However, where Bennie made his mark as one of Murray State’s first true college superstars in basketball in the 1940s-50s, Powless used tennis as his game of choice and was, literally, perfect, never losing a varsity match in three seasons as a Racer.
“He told (Murray State recruiters), I’ll play tennis too, then he got hurt in basketball,” Mel said of Powless, who came to Murray only a few years after Bennie. “But he helped win championships (two of them from 1955-57).”
The next Hall of Fame player was Paducah native Johnny King, who simply assumed Powless’ mantle from 1956-59. All he did was help the Racers win three OVC titles (including two with Powless).
The remaining four Hall of Famers all were products of the Purcell era, three of whom belonged to Bennie — Bobby Montgomery, Mats Ljungman and Tony Wretlund. They all were part of Bennie’s 10-year OVC run.
Nikola Aracic was under Mel (1998-2002) and matched Wretlund as a three-time OVC Player of the Year.
There will certainly be others to be inducted. However, those future inductees will not have their days in the sun feel like the breath of a patient that does not know it is officially dead. This program is absolutely alive.
Mel said he started hearing the first rumblings a few months before the Regents made their move at their last meeting.
“(Regent) Emily Roark had been saying something about it,” he said of how he hasn known Roark for many years. He also has given her son, McCrcken County standout Ethan Roark, some assistance during his career.. “So I knew it was going to happen. She was the one that texted me about it when they did approve it.”
Emily’s passion for this subject was evident during that board meeting.
“Murray State has a long history of tennis (for both men and women) and I think it says a lot for our athletics program that we’re bringing this back. I think a lot of people wanted it, and a lot of people never thought it would happen,” said Paducah’s Roark. “I get questions about, ‘When are we going to bring back men’s tennis?’ more than anything since I’ve been on this board. So, I want to thank (Director of Athletics Nico Yantko), the athletic program and (President Dr. Ron Patterson) for bringing it back to Murray State.
“I think it’s one of the greatest things we’ve done since I’ve been on this board.”
“Men’s tennis was a really successful program when I was in school here (back in the late 2000s) and understanding the relationship with the Purcell family and (men’s tennis alumnus/now Racer women’s Head Coach) Jorge Caetano has done a tremendous job with the women as well,” said Yantko, who played football when Caetano was also a player under Mel. “He was a great player too and I remember the emphasis around that program.
“I think there is a great tennis community here in Murray, Kentucky and this gives us another chance to drive that activation to our footprint and, for us to bring that men’s program was really important for us to round out our profile.”
Yantko has said the men’s program will be non-scholarship for probably its first two years. Men’s tennis is returning along with women’s towing (also abandoned several years ago), while three activities make their debuts on campus … women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling and a cheerleader-related activity known as stunt.