Steve Denton

Texas A&M University

Team:Team

Steve Denton, a U.S. Open Doubles Champion and former All-American, was named the head men's tennis coach at Texas A&M University on August 8, 2006. Since being named head coach in College Station, the Aggies have seen unprecedented success including the team’s first-ever semifinals appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the ITA Indoor National Championships in 2018.

In the final match of the regular season in 2018, Denton became the third coach in program history to reach 250 victories. In Denton's 14 seasons leading the Aggies, he has compiled 20 NCAA Tournament wins to become the Aggies all-time NCAA wins leader. Including the 2018 season, the Aggies have won at least 20 matches in each of the last six seasons, excluding the 2020 COVID-shortened season, and eight times in Denton’s tenure. Five times during the last decade, Texas A&M has hit the 25-win mark, winning 25 in 2010, 30 in 2011, 25 in 2014, 27 in 2016 and 26 in 2018.

In each of the last seven completed seasons, Texas A&M has seen a doubles tandem earn All-America honors. Under Denton's direction the Aggies have produced 11 doubles All-American duos compared to just four tandems prior to his arrival in 58 seasons of competition.

In addition to the doubles All-Americans, Denton has seen 11 players earn singles All-America recognition including a trio in the 2018 season, the first season in which multiple players have earned the designation in the same season in program history. Prior to Denton’s arrival in College Station, the Maroon & White produced eight singles All-Americans.

In addition to the individual success that Denton has overseen in Aggieland, the team has captured a trio of SEC Regular Season Championships to go along with a pair of SEC Tournament Championships. The 2018 men’s tennis team was the first Texas A&M team in any sport to complete an SEC regular season undefeated en route to the program’s highest ever ITA Final Ranking of No. 4 in the country.

Known nationally and internationally throughout the tennis world, Denton won 20 professional doubles titles and was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles and No. 2 in the world in doubles in 1982. A four-year collegiate standout at the University of Texas, he helped the Longhorns to an impressive 78-27 (.743) team record from 1976-79. Denton amassed an 85-22 singles record and a 72-18 doubles record, while also earning All-American honors in 1978.

He was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997, the inaugural Blue-Gray Tennis Classic Hall of Fame in 2006 and the ITA Hall of Fame in 2008.

Enjoying nine successful years on the professional circuit, Denton reached the singles finals of the Australian Open twice in 1981 and 1982. During his career, he advanced to seven singles finals and defeated the likes of Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Stan Smith. Denton also represented the U.S. as a member of the Davis Cup Team in 1982 and 1983, playing alongside tennis greats in Arthur Ashe, McEnroe, Peter Fleming and Eliot Teltscher. Denton teamed with his former college teammate Kevin Curren and captured the U.S. Open doubles title in 1982. In all, he totaled winnings more than $1 million as a pro on the ATP Tour.

Among his professional accomplishments, Denton has been named the recipient of the 1981 Most Improved Player Award by Tennis Magazine, the 1981 Wilmer Allison Sportsmanship, Excellence of Character Award and the 1982 Sportsmanship Award by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Most notably, he broke the world record for fastest serve of 138 miles per hour in 1984, a record that stood in the Guinness Book of World Records for 13 years.

Prior to his professional tennis career, Denton served a one-year stint with the Björn Borg Sports Management Corporation in the late 1980s.

Prior to coming to College Station, Denton compiled a 64-48 overall record and garnered back-to-back Southland Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2004 and 2005 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Not only did he guide the Islanders to three SLC championship titles, but also to their first NCAA Championship appearance in school history and a top 20 national ranking in 2005. During their NCAA run, the Islanders reached the second round before falling 4-2 to then second-ranked and eventual quarterfinalists Virginia.

Three of his players gained national rankings during his appointment, including two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year Raul Morant-Rivas. One of eight all-time all-conference first team selections under Denton, Morant-Rivas was the first player in school history to receive an NCAA at-large bid in singles in 2006.

Denton previously served as the Director of the HEB Tennis Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, a position he held for seven years. His association with the center began in 1990, where he helped coach several state and national junior champions, organized several exhibition matches with touring professionals and successfully fundraised over $1 million for renovations and improvements to the tennis center.

He has been instrumental in the development of many of the state's top junior players, while serving as the captain of the USTA Texas Section's Junior Davis Cup Team. Denton led the training for the state's top seven boys and coached them in Junior Davis Cup matches.

In the UT record books, his .794 winning percentage in singles still ranks third all-time for players accounting at least 30 victories and his .800 winning percentage ranks tied for sixth all-time in doubles competition. During his freshman season, Denton compiled a 21-1 doubles mark, a record that still stands today for best winning percentage in a single season.

Born in Kingsville, Texas, Denton attended Bishop High School, where he captured four consecutive 3A state singles titles as a prep. Denton has two sisters, Carolyn and Cheryl.