Stan Drobac (2023) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Stan Drobac

Induction:
2023
Class:
1953

Stan Drobac
Men's Tennis (1952-53)/Men's Tennis Coach (1958-89)
Milwaukee, Wis.
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2023

In an era when the sport was in its infancy at the collegiate level, former Michigan State tennis head coach Stan Drobac was an innovator.

And competing in an area of the country where it would be challenging to compete with some of the best programs in the nation, Drobac helped put Michigan State in the conversation.

The late Drobac, who passed away in 2016, was a standout player at MSU as a collegian (1952-53) and then made a substantial impact on the Spartan program during his 32 years as head coach (1958-89).

"It's a big deal, and it means a lot to our family," Stan Drobac, the second of his three children, said. "He's been recognized in the tennis community with the all-century team, but having broader recognition in the MSU community is really nice.

"Being a coach in what many would refer to as a non-revenue sport, guys like my dad and some of the other coaches, whether it was fencing, wrestling, they lived in a different world than the football or basketball coaches, but there was still a great community there."

Stan Drobac, HOF

It was a community that the younger Drobac remembers fondly as a child growing up in nearby Okemos, from picking up balls after his father conducted lessons on the old courts in the shadow of Spartan Stadium and seeing tennis greats like Arthur Ashe or Dennis Ralston on campus when Michigan State hosted the 1964 NCAA Championships.

"Tennis wasn't that popular, certainly when I grew up," said Drobac, who now lives in Northern California. "My dad was the tennis coach, but I always played baseball and didn't really pick it up until high school. Some of the stuff he did as coach, pushing for the team tennis championship and being one of the first to say there should be one, has really blossomed. To see what that is today in the sport, it's pretty cool."

His father's ties to Michigan State started as a collegian.

As a Spartan student-athlete, Drobac captured the Big Ten singles title in 1953, after finishing runner-up in 1952. He also teamed up with Tom Belton to win the Big Ten doubles title in 1952 and 1953. In 1952, Drobac won both the Wisconsin State Open and Closed Single Championships, and he also competed in the National Singles Championships at Forest Hills, New York, for three years.

Drobac was named the Most Valuable Player of the MSU Tennis All-Century Team in 2013, and the annual MSU men's tennis MVP award is named in his honor.

Drobac, the longest tenured coach in program history, spent 32 seasons as head coach of the Spartan men's tennis program from 1958-89. Throughout his coaching career, Drobac made a substantial impact on the Michigan State tennis program. He won 267 matches and led the Spartans to their second Big Ten Championship in 1967. His teams posted winning records 10 consecutive seasons from 1959-1968, including a 15-4 mark overall and a perfect 9-0 record in conference play in 1967. The Spartans also finished second in the Big Ten in 1961, 1966 and 1968 and third in 1960 and 1962.

Under Drobac, 10 Spartans claimed individual conference singles titles, along with four conference doubles titles, and his players earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades on seven occasions.

In addition to his work as Spartan head coach, Drobac was a leader and innovator who helped shape the intercollegiate tennis team championship. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990.

"Our MSU tennis program would not be where we are today without Stan's vision and impact on college tennis and our community," said Gene Orlando, who was head coach at MSU for 31 years before retiring in 2022. "Stan and Dr. M. Cecil Mackey helped pave the way for our MSU indoor tennis center to be built in 1986. It was a huge moment in our program's history and gave us the opportunity to compete on the national level for a northern school.

"Stan was a legendary coach, but his legacy is that of a teacher, mentor and someone who cared for his players and was an inspiration to many. He brought people together and together united our Spartan tennis family."

Drobac was born June 1, 1927, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in 1946, he met Frank Beeman, who became MSU's head tennis coach in 1948. Drobac represented the United States in international tennis competitions, including Wimbledon in 1946, where he teamed up with Beeman for doubles play.

Drobac completed his bachelor's degree from Michigan State in 1953 and became the tennis coach at East Lansing High School before becoming a physical education instructor at MSU in 1955. He earned his master's degree from MSU in 1956 and served as an assistant coach under Beeman for two seasons (1956-57) before succeeding Beeman as head coach in 1958, when Beeman was promoted to men's intramural director.

In 1961, Drobac, along with Jim Griswald and Bob Rood, invented the "Tenniscor," a copyrighted scoreboard which aided spectators in following tennis matches. The scoreboards were used for several years at the NCAA Men's and Women's Championships.

In 1969, Drobac was appointed to the first NCAA Tennis Committee and served on it until 1974. He was an officer in the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association for 14 years, serving as president from 1969-73. He also developed a scorebook that was used by the members of the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association for more than two decades.

In 1973, Drobac inaugurated the National Intercollegiate Team Indoor Championships, which was held at the Nielson Tennis Stadium at the University of Wisconsin. This event was the forerunner to the team format now being used to determine the NCAA team champions.

Drobac was also instrumental in developing the first wheelchair tennis program at MSU.

"Stan was a pioneer and innovator who help shape our current collegiate game to what our current competitive format is today," Orlando said. "So many great Spartans that played for Stan have stayed connected to the game and our Spartan Family continues to make a difference in our tennis community worldwide."