Tennis community loses legendary 'Pro' Luffler

Teaching professional William C. Lufler, known respectively and affectionately as "Pro," passed away Friday at the age of 92.

Lufler lived in a quiet area of New Port Richey, but his influence was resounding as it spread as far away as Sweden, and as near as the tennis circles in Pasco, Pinellas and Citrus counties.

"Pro was a very close friend and just outstanding in whatever he did," said Weems Hollowell of Homosassa. "He was so charismatic and had a genuine concern for others.

"He had extremely high standards and was very interesting. Our son, Reed, was a pretty good junior player and worked with Pro as a professional and later went on to teach tennis himself for a while in Orlando."

In addition to his friendship with Lufler, Hollowell took lessons from the Pro and played some tennis events with him. Lufler's resume includes extensive teaching experiences, coaching opportunities and directing responsibilities.

Among his college teams were Presbyterian College in S.C., the University of South Florida and the University of Miami.

At Presbyterian, Lufler's teams earned a 117-7 record between 1937 to 1943.

At Miami, his teams went an amazing 148-2 from 1948 to 1957, along with a attaining a No. 1 national ranking on four different occasions.

In 1986, Lufler was inducted into the Miami Hall of Fame and also into the Tennis Coaches National Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

"Pro will be sorely missed by all of us," said St. Petersburg's Jeff Davis, a former student of Lufler's and currently the No. 1 player in Florida in the 40-and-over division. "Pro really embodied the true definition of a teaching professional and all that it should entail.

"I first met Pro when I was a high school senior and I was influenced by his taking the coaching position at USF to attend there. He didn't stay long but he made an impact. There were players that came from all over the world to play for him."

Davis, like so many others that encountered Lufler, continued his relationship with Pro through adulthood and fondly remembers the teachings and examples of the passion, dedication and refinement.

Following a tennis career that included teaching and playing up to the satellite tour, Davis now devotes himself -- perhaps due to Lufler's example -- to influencing the growth and development of tennis in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties as a USA Community Coordinator for the USA Tennis Florida organization.

Mention Lufler and words like purist, mastermind, craftsman, passion and dedication are frequently associated with him by those who trained with or were taught by him.

Stories of his accomplishments and tributes to his results are countless.

In 1937, the Swedish Lawn Tennis Association contracted Lufler to create a player development system.

For his efforts, Lufler received the pennant of the SLTA from the hand of King Gustav VI.

At the time, it was only the second award bestowed on anyone.

While working in Sweden, Lufler met his wife-to-be, Elisabeth, who was a promising young Swedish player.

The pair were married almost 45 years.

Lufler was also asked to develop a model tennis clinic concept by the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association and was recognized again, this time by the U.S. national governing body of tennis, and presented the National Education Merit Award.

Florida also honored the teaching professional's dedication to amateur tennis with the state organization's Merit Award.

"It would be impossible to express what Pro meant to those of us that had an association with him," said David Couzens, who first met Lufler in 1978. "Pro trained me for more than teaching tennis. Pro taught me how to teach and how to live."

With Lufler's knowledge of developing players and his creation of the clinic model, it was a natural followup for him to be largely responsible for the creation of the U.S. Professional Teaching Association, an organization that certifies teaching professionals. Lufler was USPTA president from 1962 to 1966.

Following nearly 10 years as the head professional at the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills, Lufler settled at the Safety Harbor Spa as its head teaching professional.

He remained there nearly 20 years until his final lesson at the age of 88.

Triple bypass heart surgery in 1993 forced Lufler to reduce his activity level and he reluctantly stepped down from his rigorous teaching schedule.

"I've never retired but was forced to slow down," said Lufler in 1999. "Up until then, I guess I was lucky and hardly ever missed a day.

"There was never anything else I ever wanted to do but teach tennis.

"I'm a tried-and-true tennis professional."

For those that had the privilege of experiencing Lufler's teaching and benefited from his vast knowledge, Lufler always hoped that those experiences and knowledge would positively affect their love for a game that he so passionately dedicated his life to.

SULLIVAN HOMECOMING: Last weekend's annual Sullivan's Homecoming Invitational Tournament at the St. Petersburg Tennis Center featured 32 former or current students of Dan Sullivan, 81.

Following a round-robin format of competition in two groups of 16, the top two players from each group entered a round-robin playoff with Davis, Mike Reilly, John Block and Larry Turville.

Davis finished first and Reilly was second after a tiebreak playoff with Turville.

During the invitational, which began in 1968, the center and the St. Petersburg Tennis Foundation surprised Sullivan by dedicating the enclosed teaching court to him. Sullivan first taught there in the 1950s.

Proceeds of the annual event were donated to the center to assist its grassroots junior program.

LEAGUE LEADERS: At the midway point in the Suncoast Ladies Doubles League, defending champion Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club is first among 14 teams representing Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The next-closest Pinellas team is the Racquet Club in seventh place.

Bardmoor is also the leader in the Racqueteers, a 16-team weekly women's doubles league with a one-point lead over the defending champions, the Luv Breakers.

The Swingers, defending Advantage Ladies Tennis League champions, have a one-point edge over the McMullen-Kent squad.

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