DAVID KENT - INDUCTEE #113
hall of fame fast fact:
David Kent earned a master's degree in government while he was coaching at WT. He's always been interested in politics. So after he retired, he became the Republican Party chairman for Brazos County. He and wife Eileen (a former Amarillo tennis player) live in Bryan. They have three grown children - Tanya, Todd, and Trey - seven grandchildren and a great grandchild.
David Kent
David Kent was a standout tennis player for Amarillo High School and Texas Tech, where he helped the Raiders finish second in the Southwest Conference in 1958.
After graduating from Tech, Kent coached tennis at Amarillo High and Midland. In 1970, he was hired as the tennis coach at WT. In eight seasons in Missouri Valley Conference competition, Kent’s teams won six MVC championships and two runner-up spots. His 1971 team won the MVC, finished 23-3, and wound up 20th in the final NCAA Division I rankings.
Kent left WT in 1979 to become Texas A&M’s head tennis coach. He coached the Aggies for 18 years. He coached 21 Southwest Conference individual champions, 18 NCAA qualifiers, three All-Americans, and the SWC championship team in 1994.
Kent won his 500th dual match on February 25, 1996, becoming the ninth NCAA Division I coach to achieve the feat at that time.
His total college coaching record was 516-223 (a 70 percent winning rate), 11th best in Division I history.
