The Auburn men's tennis program celebrated their first formal reunion in September before the home football game against LSU. The reunion brought together faces both past and present as former players and coaches gathered for a weekend of reconnecting at Auburn. Former coaches Hugh Thomson and Eric Shore joined current head coach Bobby Reynolds at the event.
"It's been great," said Thompson. "It's always been a goal to implement something like this. This is the first time we've had something like this for men's tennis. It's just remarkable. I know it takes a lot of time out of their schedule. Players have traveled from all sorts of different countries to be here. I know what Auburn means to them and to be a part of that and start this tradition is special to us."
Auburn Tigers of all ages, from octogenarian William Bost to 2018 graduate Viboosh Chandrasekar, enjoyed reminiscing and being on hand as Bill Knestrick, Dan Cassidy, Pat Cassidy, Kevin Moir, Barry Moir, Alex Dias, Paul Sullivan and Coach Thomson were recognized during football pregame on-field ceremonies for the 35th anniversary of their 1983 SEC championship.
Barry Moir was one of those players who traveled a long distance to make it, traveling more than 16 hours from South Africa to be at the reunion.
"I got an invitation from Auburn and my brother called and said I needed to come over and make this trip," said Moir. "It's a long way to fly but I thought about it and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, I booked a ticket and said I'm heading out, I have to do it. I haven't seen these some of these guys for 30 years. We had a great team and a great bunch of guys. Playing tennis here at Auburn is one of the highlights of my life. It was an easy decision and I'm so glad to be here."
The impression first Auburn had on Moir back in the 1980s has stayed with him since he left.
"Coming from South Africa, the scale of the stadium, the facilities, and the university was just such an amazing time to be here," said Moir. "The football team had Bo Jackson, the basketball team had (Charles) Barkley, the tennis team and swimming was great. I was fortunate my timing was great. I'd wished I stayed here longer. If I could say one thing, I'd wished I had stayed longer. I'm just so happy to be back."
One frequent discussion at the reunion was former players wanting to show their support for Auburn men's tennis and Coach Bobby Reynolds.
"I think the reunion is wonderful," said former player Chip McCarthy (1979). "It's about time it finally happened. It's great to see all the old faces and personalities, it's been incredible. The stories have been incredible and even the stories that have been made up have been incredible. We are going to do everything we can as a group to support the program and support Coach Reynolds."
In addition to showing to support to the program, several players and a former coach discussed the impact legendary Auburn football coach Pat Dye had on the tennis program in the early 1980s.
"Coach Pat Dye, in 1981, got on board with tennis," said former player Nick Stutsman (1979-82), "even though financially it was hard for Auburn to do at the time. He didn't know anything about tennis. In fact, one time he asked us where tennis was, and our courts were right by his office. He could have just said we don't have the time or the money, but he gave us his support."
Former coach Hugh Thomson, the 1983 SEC Coach of the Year, also shared some stories about Dye's impact on the tennis program.
"When I first came to Auburn, I went into Dye's office and he said I don't expect you to coach the football team and I'm not going to coach the tennis team," said Thomson. "But if you need something you let me know. He came out to practice one time and Barry (Moir) and another player were hitting on the court and he came up to me and asked if those guys could come play running back for him."
The memories exchanged from coaches and players alike was one of the highlights of the reunion, along with a slideshow featuring former players that stood out to former head coach Eric Shore, who coached at Auburn for 26 years, compiling a 359-293 record with 20 NCAA Tournament appearances. The reunion gave Shore a chance to catch up and see some of his former players since his retirement in 2016.
"It's been a neat experience seeing a lot of my former players," said Shore. "The slideshow with the pictures really brings back a lot of memories. It's been pretty neat seeing some of those photos of these guys playing."
As people reminisced and talked about the past, one thing, in particular, stood out in Shore's mind.
"Senior days were all really special," said Shore. "We used to play Alabama the last match of the year. I always remember those matches particularly. Playing Alabama at home on Saturday night was really, really cool."
Current coach Bobby Reynolds was happy to be part of the reunion and the good times that were shared.
"I have just sat back and listened to some of the stories," said Reynolds. "That has been the best part for me -- just taking it all in. Hearing how it used to be and how a lot hasn't changed and those memories between those guys. I'm just glad we could foster that."
