By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chuck Kriese is no stranger to Halls of Fame. A 1985 inductee into the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the National Collegiate Tennis, Clemson and South Carolina Tennis halls.
He'll get his fifth induction in June as he will be added to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame for its 52nd class.
Kriese joins inductees Joe Allison (University of Memphis kicker), Allan Houston (Tennessee basketball), Johnnie Jones (Tennessee running back), Raleigh McKenzie (Tennessee center, Oakland Raiders GM), Tim Mack (2004 Olympic gold medalist), George Quarles (former Maryville High football coach), Jackie Pope (Middle Tennessee multi-sport athlete and football All-American), the late Isabelle Daniels Holston (Tennessee State track runner and Olympic medalist), the late Glenn McCadams (Lipscomb Academy football coach), Blaine Bishop (former Tennessee Titan) and Pat Summitt Lifetime Achievement Award winner James Haslam II.
He joins Tech inductees Raymond "Bull" Brown (1983), Hooper Eblen (2000), Tom Fann (1991), P.V. "Putty" Overall (1966), Emmett Strickland (1976), Star Wood (1988), Jim Youngblood (2007), Bill Dupes (2010), Watson Brown (2003) and Marynell Meadors (2011).
Kriese played tennis for three seasons at Tennessee Tech from 1970 to 1972. He was a team captain his senior year and won the team's most valuable player honor, an all-Ohio Valley Conference nod and was named an Outstanding Athlete of America. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Tech.
In the 1973-74 season, Kriese served the university as an assistant tennis and assistant track and field coach.
The following year, he was hired at Clemson as the university's director of tennis. From there, it started a career where he became the winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history with 685 wins, 10 conference titles, seven NCAA Elite 8 appearances and 16 top 10 finishes. Among his players were 36 All-Americans and four national senior players of the year. Eleven of those have advanced into the ATP and WTA tours and more than 30 have been ranked worldwide.
He has been awarded four national coach of the year honors and has coached junior players to nine Grand Slam finals with five championships. He coached the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam event as Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn won the girls singles and doubles championships at the 2009 Wimbledon tournament. She also won the U.S. Open and French Open, finishing the year ranked as the top player in junior tennis.
Kriese has also been a United States national coach, including the Junior Davis Cup and Junior French Open teams. He has also been a technical director for Southeast Asia Tennis.
In 2013, he returned to collegiate coaching as he took head post at The Citadel and continues to instruct there to this day.
In addition to his coaching efforts, Kriese has also authored four books on the sport, as well as co-wrote two books on Clemson sports history. He continues to conduct seminars for players and coaches in 17 countries and four continents. He also hosts a weekly radio show on the sport.
The induction will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2018, at the Omni-Nashville Hotel.
Tickets for the induction banquet can be purchased by contacting the TSHF's Lynn Powell Toy at (615) 202-3996 or lynnpowelltoy@gmail.com.
