Indiana University Athletics
Hall of Fame Induction 2006 - Spotlight on Dave Power
11/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Varsity Club
Nov. 7, 2006
With Indiana's Athletics Hall of Fame induction set for Friday, Nov. 10, IUHOOSIERS.com will highlight 2006 inductees Jon McGlocklin (basketball - 1963-65), Dave Power (tennis - 1964-66), Mike Smith (baseball - 1989-92) and Erika Wicoff (golf - 1992-96), as well as Indiana alumnus and legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg, in the week leading up to the induction. Alan Henderson (basketball - 1992-95) will be inducted when his schedule permits. The second feature in the week-long series will focus on Power.
"Tennis has been good for me."
For 2006 Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Dave Power, this statement sums up most of his life. He has gone from an All-American tennis player at Indiana to the founder and owner of a successful country club.
Power came to Indiana in 1963 from Evanston High School, just outside of Chicago. His high school coach, Keith Anderson, attended Northwestern with Indiana head coach Bill Landin, leading Power and several of his high school teammates to gravitate toward the Hoosier State.
"We had won the state championship three years in a row, and I won in singles my junior and senior seasons," Power said. "I was ranked seventh in the country coming out of high school, and I knew that if I continued, I could be a top-10 player in college."
Since freshmen were not allowed to compete on the varsity team then, Power did not see his first action until 1964. He helped lead Indiana to its first Big Ten championship with a 20-3 singles record. After the Hoosiers won the championship, he remembers the crowds that came out the next year to watch the team. That championship, as well as the fans that came out to support the team, are some of his fondest memories of IU.
"We had 500 fans that came out for the dual match against Northwestern," Power said. "When we held the Big Ten Championships my junior year as the defending champions, there were a good 500 people at that."
Over the next two seasons, Power would go 37-4 to earn All-America honors both years. Unfortunately, Power didn't have any idea that he had been selected for the honor until after he graduated.
"I was already in graduate school when I found out I had earned All-America honors," Power said. "Back then, a coaches group voted and decided who was worthy of that status. They didn't vote after the NCAA championships my junior year, but they did after my senior year. I got my certificates in the fall after I had graduated. I played my whole senior season as an All-American, and never knew it. Now, they have a set of criteria to determine who is an All-American, while back then it was a little more casual."
As a student, he enjoyed the Indiana sports scene.
"I went to swim meets, wrestling matches, gymnastic meets," Power said. "I hit every sport. I loved to watch them compete, and learn about the different sports.
"I enjoyed the whole environment at Indiana. The beautiful campus, the friendly people, the great education and fraternity life."
After graduation, Power was ranked as high as No. 25 in the world. He played in five Grand Slam events, reaching the semifinals in doubles at the Australian Nationals. In 1984, he became a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Master Professional.
Power would continue his journey in collegiate tennis in 1988, coaching at the University of Cincinnati for 10 years.
"I saw myself in some of those players," Power said. "That was the fun part, being able to help their games and help them develop, that was very satisfying for me."
Power looks back at his time at Indiana fondly. He says that the opportunities he has had because of tennis have helped shape his whole life.
"The lessons that I learned from tennis are great lessons that I learned about life," he said. "There is a great parallel there, because the decisions that you make affect what goes on in your career. There is no question that I look back and say what a great gift it was to play an individual sport. You learn how to make a decision and base those decisions on certain things, which is a parallel for life."
Today, Power, who graduated from IU with a business degree, is the founder and owner of the Windward Lake Club in Alpharette, Ga. He serves as the Vice President for the club, and is the director of operations for the Windward Tennis Academy.
Although currently residing in Georgia, Power still has strong ties to Indiana and follows the Hoosiers from afar. His daughter and son-in-law both graduated from IU. His grandson was born several months ago, and is destined to become a third generation fan.
"They started putting the Cream and Crimson on him early," Power said.
He is excited to come back and visit his old stomping grounds.
"It's going to be fun to come back to campus," Power said. "The whole family is going to come, along with friends and former teammates. There is a certain aura about the Hall of Fame, and it's quite an honor to be inducted. I was very excited to find out.
"I have good memories of Indiana. My biggest memory is coming up. It's a nice ending to a career, to cap it with the Hall of Fame. This is as good as it gets."
