September 26, 2019

HERSCHEL STEPHENS

Induction: 2019
Sport: Tennis

Stephens compiled a 354-33-5 record in dual-match play and led Navarro tennis to 11 consecutive conference championships. His Bulldogs finished among the Top 12 at the NJCAA National Tournament in Ocala, Fl., between 1967 and 1974, including a third-place in 1973 and a fifth in 1972. Between 1967 and 1974, his NC squads won 122 consecutive dual matches.

A renowned recruiter with worldwide connection to rising talent, Stephens was inducted among the first group of five in the NJCAA Men’s Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in 1992, and among the first group of four in the NJCAA Women’s Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in 1993. The NJCAA Tennis Coaches Association presents a Herchel Stephens Coaching Award annually. A former English and journalism instructor here, Stephens also coached women’s basketball one season.

Stephens passed away in 1983.