Legends of Ky Tennis the Hall of Fame Series

Dec 9

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Rick Shafferman. Rick tells of his journey from the park’s programs in Owensboro to the Presidency of the USTA Kentucky and the Raise a Racquet Foundation. The Foundation is the Endowment Fund for USTA Kentucky raising funds for tennis facilities, players and programs throughout Kentucky. Rick was a conference champion at Miami of Ohio and followed it up with a great career in adult USTA tennis. A highly respected leader in the Kentucky Tennis Community as he speaks to giving back to the sport he loves.

Nov 3

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Meg Peavy. Meg is the former University of Louisville number one player in the early years of Title nine and and went on to coach at U of L. She speaks about her tennis beginnings as a "parks kid " in Florida. Of special interest is her years’ work on the charitable side of tennis with the rising stars as its founder and other ventures which have had an enormous impact on the Louisville community. Her many current friends and friends to be will enjoy her story!

Aug 25

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Michael Cunningham. Michael tells his story of rising from a lightly recruited junior player to multiple time gold ball winner and US National senior champion. This podcast also covers his Georgetown College years as player and coach, and his relationship with Hall of Famer John Herring. Michael talks about the immense impact his wife Jessica has had on his career. His humility shines through in this interview.

Nov 4, 2024

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Joseph Kroh. Joe was the legendary St Xavier Coach who is widely acclaimed as the best high school coach in state high school history. His Louisville teams won a record 17 state team championships. More than a high school coach, he was instrumental in guiding his daughter Ashley to great success. This led to her reaching the NCAA Doubles Final for Marshall. Joe shares his theories on coaching and personal stories of how he built the St X juggernaut.

Sep 9, 2024

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Richard Benson. Rich Benson, originally from Utah came to Kentucky in 1985 to play at the University of Kentucky. He has remained in Kentucky where he and his family call home. He is the only three time All American in UK Tennis History in doubles and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Tournament as a sophomore. Rich was a member of several of the best teams UK has fielded and was a leader on three top ten teams. He was a two-time SEC Champion individually. He went on to great success on the pro tour in doubles as he reached a ranking of 128 in the world on the ATP Tour. He shares his story of beating Andre Agassi and their friendship through his current job as head coach at Centre College.

Jun 28, 2024

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Jeff True. Jeff has been involved with Kentucky Tennis in so many ways. After successfully playing the National Junior Circuit he played for Indiana. He coached both the men’s and women’s programs at Western Kentucky. As part of that he ran over 100 junior tournaments where many top players got their start. His family won Kentucky Tennis Family of the Year and he claims one of his great joys is playing the National Father and Son Championships.

Mar 22, 2024

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Colleen Jones Underhill. Colleen was the number one ranked Kentucky Jr. female player for several years as well as securing a top 10 ranking in USTA Southern. She played for Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville where she was Kentucky High School State Champion and female player of the year. She continued her successful tennis career as number one singles at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Underhill continued to play competitively as an adult and has been a teaching tennis pro, and coach at her high school alma mater. She and her husband Todd are very philanthropically active in tennis and are principal donors of the Underhill Tennis Complex at Sacred Heart Academy and the Miami University outdoor tennis complex. She speaks about why that was important to her.

Nov 7, 2023

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Rex Ecarma. Rex Ecarma is a legendary figure in Kentucky collegiate tennis circles. He built the University of Louisville tennis program from playing their home matches at Triangle Park to the Bass Rudd Tennis Center on the U of L Campus. He coached Michael Mather to the NCAA quarterfinals and then a berth on the US National Team. He also led Austin Childs to the 2011 NCAA singles finalist. His teams qualified for numerous NCAA championships. Rex, a Louisville native and U of L Lettermen tells his story.