Gonzaga Athletic Hall of Fame
Kent Brennan took over a moribund tennis program in 1964 and breathed competitive life into it. Gonzaga needed a viable program for acceptable participation in the Big Sky Conference. Brennan provided it, almost immediately. In 1964, the team had a 10-6 match record, then improved to 14-2 in 1965 and missed winning the conference tournament by one point. And Brennan, a Gonzaga Prep graduate, coached by example: In 1964, he won the Spokane City, Inland Empire and Northeast Washington tournaments, the first Spokane native to ever accomplish that. He continued to be ranked nationally in his age group into his 60s. In his 19 years as a coach, Brennan’s squads had 13 winning seasons, including a 14-1 campaign in 1979, only five losing years and one even. Remarkably, Brennan’s teams competed well all those years without one scholarship player.
