Larry Eichenbaum
Induction Year: 2022
Larry Eichenbaum has served long and well in many many aspects of Texas tennis: as a player, instructor, organizer, administrator, fund-raiser, to name just a few. Though he successfully earned a living through the sport, if one could tackle the impossible task of counting up the hours, days and years he also volunteered his tennis talents and skills, it would come as no surprise how favorably the results would compare. He did it all, he did it well, and the beat goes on!
Eichenbaum began competing at tennis in high school and continued on the varsity team at the University of Texas where he earned a degree in Business Administration and during his senior year he was named both Captain and Most Valuable Player. That was 1969. Fast forward to 2022 and he’s still competing! In addition to participating in and holding rankings in USTA tournaments and leagues locally and nationally, he was selected to be a member of the Gordon Cup team -- the USA versus Canada -- in the Men’s 75s division. That adds up to a whole lot of pairs of sneakers.
Eichenbaum is best known as a USPTA Tennis Professional, a title he qualified for in 1972, and having attained the level of Elite Professional. For over three decades he was the beloved Head Tennis Pro and Director of Tennis for first Austin’s Westwood Country Club followed by 27 years at Walden Racquet Club in Montgomery. During those years he was active in and held officer roles at both the Texas Professional Tennis Association and the USPTA, winning service awards along the way. One notable thing about Eichenbaum’s service is his consistency. Once he took on a job or event, he returned to repeat it year after year. For instance, he organized and directed the USTA National Women’s
Intersectional event for 25 consecutive years! That included both hard and clay court venues in both Texas and Florida often with as many as 350 participants. All in all, he organized, directed, officiated and refereed hundreds of tournaments, leagues, clinics, etc. while also proving to be accomplished at fundraising, membership drives, and soliciting sponsorships.
He served his community as well as his tennis communities, volunteering on boards of banks, charities, foundations and a school district. All of these attributes were noted and well known to USTA Texas who, in 2004, offered to bring him in out of the sun to become Executive Director of their Texas Tennis and Education Foundation to be set up at their office in Austin. His business expertise kicked into gear as he developed and implemented fundraising programming, oversaw the grant and scholarship programs and provided management for the accounting and tax reporting schedules. From that assignment until his retirement in 2017, he moved on to become the Controller of all of USTA Texas doing what controllers do: setting up financial controls and business practices to ensure the Section would go forward even if faced with lean times.
