General Gene
Land
Male
United States of America
1934-12-14
Oklahoma City, United States of America


About

Gene Land was born December 14, 1934, in Oklahoma City. He hit his first tennis ball at age five and has hit more tennis balls than anyone else. He started competing in tournaments at age 14 and 20 years later he had won over 400 singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. His junior tennis life found him playing a tournament nearly every week, entering the singles and doubles in the under 18s on Thursday; the Open singles, doubles, and mixed on Friday; finish playing five finals on Sunday; and back on the practice court on Monday. For variety, he would get Thurston and they would enter in the father-son division. In their lifetime, they never lost a father-son tournament match. He has won 41 Missouri Valley Sectional tournaments and has been ranked # 1 in the Open Division ten different years. Gene's best tournament win was over Butch Bucholz at the Tulsa Tennis Club Invitational when Bucholz was ranked # 9 in the U.S.

Gene graduated from Capitol Hill High School and went one semester to Oklahoma State University. He then transferred to Central State University (now UCO) and had an illustrious career finishing as the most decorated player in UCO history. He won three straight Oklahoma Collegiate Conference Singles titles and was NAIA All-American all three years. He won the NAIA National singles title in 1955 and was runner-up the next two years.

He coached at Northwest Classen High School and Muskogee High Schools producing several State team and individual champions.

Gene moved to Kansas City in 1970 and was a pro at several clubs in the area. He has continued to play Missouri Valley and National events. This year he played three tournaments including the National Public Parks Tournament where he won the Men's 55 Singles title.

He has been inducted into the UCO Athletics Hall of Fame and the Missouri Valley Tennis Association Hall of Fame.



Media


Archive statistics 1953 - 1977
33
166
120


Tournament wins 1967 - Oklahoma State (Open)
1967 - Arkansas City (Open)
1966 - Indian Capitol (Amateur)
1966 - Seminole Memorial Day (Amateur)
1966 - Sooner State (Amateur)
1965 - Oklahoma State Closed (Amateur)
1965 - Oklahoma State (Open)
1965 - Seminole Memorial Day (Amateur)
1964 - Ozark Invitation (Amateur)
1964 - Henryetta Labor Day (Amateur)
1964 - Hawkeye Championships (Open)
1964 - Sooner State (Amateur)
1963 - Arkansas City (Open)
1963 - Indian Capitol (Amateur)
1963 - Sooner State (Amateur)
1963 - Oklahoma State (Open)
1962 - Shawnee Open (Amateur)
1962 - Indian Capitol (Amateur)
1962 - Oklahoma State (Open)
1961 - Tulsa Open (Amateur)
1961 - Shawnee Open (Amateur)
1960 - Missouri Valley Championships (Open)
1960 - Shawnee Open (Amateur)
1959 - Mid-Continent (Amateur)
1958 - Oklahoma State (Open)
1958 - Sooner State (Amateur)
1958 - Oklahoma State Closed (Amateur)
1957 - Oklahoma State Closed (Amateur)
1956 - Oklahoma State Closed (Amateur)
1956 - Jayhawk (Open)
1955 - Tri-State (Texas) (Amateur)
1955 - Kansas City Open (Open)
1955 - Iowa State Championship (Amateur)


Tournaments Glenwood Manor Invitation - 1977 Missouri Valley Indoors - 1970 Missouri Valley Championships - 1969 Heart of America - 1969 Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney - 1968 Oklahoma State - 1967 Arkansas City - 1967 Prairie Village - 1967 Sooner State - 1967 Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney - 1967 Missouri Valley Championships - 1966 Oklahoma State - 1966 Indian Capitol - 1966 Norman Rotary - 1966 Sooner State - 1966 Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney - 1966 Tulsa Open - 1966 Seminole Memorial Day - 1966 Muskogee Civitan - 1966 Oklahoma State - 1965 Arkansas City - 1965 Oklahoma State Closed - 1965 Corpus Christi Thanksgiving Tourney - 1965 Tulsa Open - 1965 Seminole Memorial Day - 1965 Missouri Valley Championships - 1964 Oklahoma State - 1964 Tulsa Invitation - 1964 Henryetta Labor Day - 1964 Hawkeye Championships - 1964 Sooner State - 1964 Ozark Invitation - 1964 Fort Worth Thanksgiving - 1964 Oklahoma State - 1963 Indian Capitol - 1963 Arkansas City - 1963 Norman Rotary - 1963 Sooner State - 1963 Oklahoma State - 1962 Indian Capitol - 1962 Shawnee Open - 1962 Tulsa Open - 1962 Missouri Valley Championships - 1961 Southwest Open - 1961 Indian Capitol - 1961 Shawnee Open - 1961 Tulsa Open - 1961 Missouri Valley Championships - 1960 Tulsa Invitation - 1960 Shawnee Open - 1960 Oklahoma State - 1959 Tulsa Invitation - 1959 Greater Oklahoma City Closed - 1959 Mid-Continent - 1959 Oklahoma State - 1958 Oklahoma State Closed - 1958 Sooner State - 1958 Missouri Valley Championships - 1957 Shawnee Open - 1957 Oklahoma State Closed - 1957 US Open - 1956 Missouri Valley Championships - 1956 River Oaks Tournament - 1956 Southampton Invitation (Long Island) - 1956 Jayhawk - 1956 Dallas Invitation - 1956 Shawnee Open - 1956 Oklahoma State Closed - 1956 Iowa State Championship - 1955 River Oaks Tournament - 1955 Southwest Championships - 1955 Oklahoma State - 1955 Tri-State (Texas) - 1955 Greater Oklahoma City Closed - 1955 Kansas City Open - 1955 Oklahoma State - 1953 US Hard Courts - 1953 Northwest Texas Open - 1953 Tri-State (Texas) - 1953

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