Since the mid-20th century, Dick Gould has been synonymous with Stanford tennis. After lettering three times in men’s tennis as a student, he returned to the Farm as head coach in 1966, and would go on to hold the post for 38 years. Gould’s teams would win nearly half the NCAA team titles over that time period, taking home the crown 17 times, and included 50 All-Americans, 10 singles champions and seven doubles championship teams. For 35 years, every four-year member of the Stanford tennis team under Gould won at least one team title, a feat matched by no other school or coach. Since retiring in 2004, Gould has continued his storied career as the John L. Hinds Director of Tennis at Stanford.

Gould helped capture Stanford’s first team title in 1973, just seven years after taking over the program. The next year, Stanford won the crown again, the first of eight times that a squad under Gould would successfully defend the NCAA title. Notable are a three-year championship streak in the late 1980s and a four-year title streak from 1995-98, matching the longest such run of its kind. Three of Gould’s teams went undefeated, including a 1998 squad that is considered one of the best in men’s tennis history, having lost only two singles matches and one doubles point during the 28-0 season en route to Gould’s 16th title. He would finish his coaching career with a remarkable .840 winning percentage and over 750 victories under his belt.

Just as impressive are the players that Gould has developed over the years. Thirteen of his players have won Grand Slam championships, and many have captured multiple titles. Topping the list is John McEnroe, who won four U.S. Open and three Wimbledon Championships while reaching the No. 1 world ranking in both singles and doubles on many occasions. Overall, nine of Gould’s players have been ranked in the top-15 for singles and 14 have achieved top-10 doubles rankings. Eight have played in the Olympics, while 16 have played on Davis Cup teams.