A History Of Princeton Tennis

A History of Princeton Tennis, a new leather-bound book written by Rob Dinerman and commissioned by the Friends of Princeton Tennis, chronicles the achievements of both the Princeton men’s and women’s tennis teams from their inception --- beginning in the late 1800’s for the men and starting with the inaugural 1970-71 season for the women --- all the way through the 2019-20 season. It provides in-depth coverage of every significant dual meet and tournament in each season, while also discussing the players, coaches and personalities that have made Princeton’s tennis tradition so unique and compelling. In addition to the text, there are photos of almost every team, as well as a variety of candid and action shots and an extensive photographic collage at the end of each of the seven chapters comprising the book. There are a multitude of impressive results to examine --- the Princeton men won a record 24 Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association titles during that conference’s 59-year run from 1940-98 and are the only Ivy League team to earn a season-end top-10 national ranking, while the Princeton women’s team, the first team to represent the University in intercollegiate competition in any sport, has won 15 Ivy League championships (beginning with the first official year of league play in 1979), including four of the last five.

Three of the chapters are each devoted to one of the three coaches --- John Conroy (1946-71), David Benjamin (1974-2000) and Louise Gengler (1979-2004) --- who served for 25 years or longer, with the remaining four chapters focusing on the men’s and women’s eras before and after their tenures. The book also includes an Appendix containing lists of Princeton award winners, All-Ivy honorees, and other individual and team performers of special distinction.