Induction Year: 1997

 

Steve Denton (born 1956), a native of Kingsville, Texas, played tennis for Bishop High School where he won the Texas state high school championship four straight years, from 1972 to 1975. He played college tennis for the University of Texas from 1976 to 1979. He earned all-American honors in 1978. Along with teammate Kevin Curren, Denton won the U.S. Tennis Association amateur indoor and SWC doubles title in 1979. After college he and Curren played together on the professional tour. 

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Denton was ranked as high as World No. 12 in singles and No. 2 in doubles, both in 1983. In 1984, his 138 miles per hour (222 km/h) serve broke the world record, which would not be broken until 13 years later. Denton reached six singles finals, including the Australian Open in 1981 and 1982 and the Cincinnati Masters. He also won 18 doubles titles including the US Open and the Canada Masters in 1982.

 

After retiring from the pros, he moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, coaching several local junior tennis teams. In 1994, Steve Denton became the director of HEB Tennis Center in Corpus Christi. In 2001, he debuted his college coaching career at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, where he led his teams to three conference championships and a first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. In 2006, he resigned to become the head men's coach at Texas A&M University.

 

In addition to the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame, Denton is a member of the ITA Hall of Fame, the Blue-Gray Tennis Class Hall of Fame and the Longhorn Hall of Honor.

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