Interview with Mike Patrick, November 23, 2015

Partial Transcript: Well m, my name's Dennis Emery and I’m here with Mike Patrick who is our tennis--women's tennis coach at the University for two years.

Segment Synopsis: Patrick talks about how he was hired as the women's tennis coach at the University of Kentucky for two years, 1985 and 1986. Patrick also shares his first impression of the campus and the facilities available at the time for women tennis players. Additionally, Patrick discusses the standout players on his team and the vast improvements they made over the course of the 1985 season.

Keywords: Coaches; Competitiveness; Doubles; Matches; Singles; Success; Team work; Teamwork; Test of English as a Foreign Language; Tournaments; Winning; Women in sports

Subjects: Athletics--United States; Coaches (Athletics); Tennis; Tennis players.; Tennis--Anecdotes.; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: I'm gonna just take you through a little bit of a lightning round, and you just kinda respond a little bit to, uh, these people, okay?

Segment Synopsis: Patrick discusses his positive impressions of several tennis players who were members of his team, including Tamaka Takagi, Lee McGuire, Beckwith Archer, and Caroline Knudten. He also shares his positive impressions of Scott Smith, the volunteer assistant coach for the 1985 season, and Susan Rudd, the official assistant coach for the 1986 season. Patrick also summarizes the successes of the 1986 season which included becoming thirteenth in the country as well as placing second in the Southern Connecticut Conference. He describes Tamaka Takagi's pivotal role in this success, as well as the newly recruited Sonia Hahn.

Keywords: Competition; Friendship; Playing for points; Southern Connecticut Conference; Stress; Team work; Teamwork; Women coaches; Women in sports

Subjects: Athletics--United States; Coaches (Athletics); National Collegiate Athletics Association; Tennis; Tennis players.; Tennis--Anecdotes.; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Now, as I remembered, it was in December of '86, okay, but after this great two year run that you had.

Segment Synopsis: Patrick talks about his decision to move on to Arkansas as the interim men's tennis coach for the 1987 season. Patrick details all the factors that went into that decision, and shares about how he sought advice from Cliff Hagan, athletic director at the time. Patrick discusses his move to the University of Tennessee the year following, where he has been coaching for twenty-nine years. Patrick also talks about Susan Rudd's coaching of the women's tennis team at the University of Kentucky after he left for Arkansas.

Keywords: 20 hour rule; 20-hour rule; Hiring; Matches; Recruiting; Success; Twenty-hour rule; University of Tennessee; Women coaches; Women in sports

Subjects: Athletics--United States; Coaches (Athletics); National Collegiate Athletic Association; Tennis; Tennis players.; Tennis--Anecdotes.; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Now, looking back, you know, on your UK years, what, what are you most proud of about your two years here at the university?

Segment Synopsis: Patrick reflects on his two years coaching at the University of Kentucky. He discusses in retrospect how his time at the University of Kentucky was a period of personal growth for him. He also talks about various differences between coaching during the 1980s and coaching today.

Keywords: Learning from mistakes; Personal growth; Pride; Social media; Success

Subjects: Athletics--United States; Coaches (Athletics); Tennis; Tennis--Anecdotes.; University of Kentucky--Sports--History