Bill Lufler

To say that the teams Bill Lufler coached were successful would be a massive understatement. As the head coach at the University of Miami from 1949-57, Lufler’s teams compiled a record of 148-2-1, with winning streaks of 58 and 73 matches. The only losses Lufler’s squads suffered during his time with the Hurricanes were to Texas in 1952 and to Presbyterian, where he coached from 1937-43, in 1957. The tie came in 1952 against Houston. He also coached at South Florida. His Presbyterian teams compiled a record of 117-7 during his time with the Blue Hose. After leaving the college game, Lufler, known as “Pro,” helped establish a nationwide tennis program in Sweden in 1952, was the Swedish national coach in 1961, and later served as the head pro at West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. He also served as president of the U.S. Professional Tennis Association from 1962-66. Lufler, who taught his final lesson at age 88, died in 2001 at age 92.