SIOUX FALLS – At the Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls, the sponsorship plate of Don Grebin stands tall above the courts where his son coaches the University of Sioux Falls Tennis Team.
 

For his son, Kevin, the guidance and mentorship of his father played a significant role in his development as a man, talented tennis player, helpful instructor and the best-ever tennis coach at the University of Sioux Falls. On Sunday, July 21, Grebin will join his dad in the South Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame. He will become the third family member (Pam Gefke) in the hall and the second father-son tandem (Lefty and Marty Johnson) to be inducted.

As Grebin thinks about the honor, he is not only appreciative of his father, who is commonly referred to as the "Godfather of South Dakota Tennis," but also of his entire family, which numbers his mother, Marlee; sisters Karlee Archer and Karrie VanderVort, wife Deb, daughters Danielle Haensel and Jayme Haensel along with the many players and assistant coaches at USF among other stops he has made in an accomplished career.   

"I am humbled by this recognition and honor," said Grebin, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and minor in criminal justice in 1980 at USF. "I am grateful to so many people," he said.

Grebin, who has the most tennis coaching wins (43 NCAA DII and 75 NAIA wins for 118 overall) in school history at USF, will be honored with fellow Sioux Falls native Jeannie Craney Norwine, a former state prep champion and SDSU standout, during ceremonies at noon at the McKennan Park Tennis Complex as part of the Asfora SD Adult Open Tennis Tournament. The South Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame preserves the history and heritage of tennis in S.D. The first inductees was Lefty Johnson with Don Grebin inducted in 1992. USF Athletics Hall of Famer Phil Trautner was named in 1992. With his induction, 66 individuals have been named to the South Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame.

"We are exceptionally pleased that Kevin (Grebin) will be honored with induction into this hall of fame," said USF Director of Athletics Pam Gohl. "He is a special person and an outstanding coach and campus leader. He has brought a family atmosphere to the tennis program and mentored and supported numerous student-athletes since coming here 14 years ago," she said.

Learned game from his dad
For Grebin, this Hall of Fame honor took shape years ago when he learned the game from his father.

"I think of the early mornings and traveling to weekend tournaments which my father either coached or played," said Grebin, who serves as not only USF's tennis coach but also serves as the school's Director of Campus Security. "I was introduced to tennis through private lessons from my dad on a court owned by Dave and Tom Weber's parents, who lived just down the street," said Grebin, noting that both Dave and Tom Weber are SD Tennis Hall of Fame inductees. "Watching my dad play doubles with John Simko (SD Tennis Hall of Fame inductee) was cool. In those early years, we would be out there in the hot and humid summer days, drinking cold water from metal tennis ball cans and playing with wooden Jack Kramer tennis racquets while hitting white balls in matches in which tie breakers did not exist," he said.  "I remember the good times at the Terrance Park courts with my sisters Karlee and Karrie, and also playing under the lights at the McKennan courts in the 1960s and 1970s. And, I will never forget the ice cold lemonade during the SD Open," Grebin said.

Grebin, who been involved in tennis for over 50 years, played at Washington High in Sioux Falls. But it was at USF as a student-athlete where Grebin upped his game. At USF, he played No. 1 singles and doubles for three years. With the Cougars, he was named all-conference and earned all-district honors in 1979. A two-sport standout with the Cougars, he was also an all-conference football player.

"I was able to make significant improvement in college and that was through the help of my father and my coach (Dan Canete) at the time. I learned so much and my game, both physical and mental, took a major uptick," said Grebin, who met his wife, Deb, at a dance class on campus while going to school. Later, she earned an education degree and has taught for the past 20 years at Tea Area High School.

Route to coaching also influenced by Don Grebin
Grebin's path to coaching began watching his father, who was one of his coaches at Washington High when Kevin played from 1972-75. Later, he assisted his dad with running state high school tournaments and then spending a summer with Chris Dummermuth teaching tennis on Sioux Falls public schools. During the post USF-period he also teamed with Dick Hahn to win several doubles titles while teaming with his dad in 1992 to win the 35 and over doubles meet at the SD Closed competition.

After he graduated from USF, he coached football for two years at Colman High School and joined the SD Highway Patrol in 1985. As a patrolman for 20 years, he spent the summers of 2001-10 running the tennis program at Minnehaha Country Club.

A volunteer for Jeff Nelson in tennis at USF for four years, he became the school's a full-time coach and Director of Campus Security in 2005. At USF, both his daughters played while he was an assistant or head coach. Both Jayme (2010, elementary education) and Danielle (2005, elementary education) earned degrees from USF and were part of GPAC championship teams and competed the NAIA nationals in Mobile, Ala. The sisters played doubles on the same team, won a league title and advanced to nationals together.

"Speaking on behalf of my sister (Jayme) and my former doubles partner, we are extraordinarily proud of our father. This Hall of Fame induction is a great honor for him and for all of us," said Danielle Haensel, who won a state tennis title at Lincoln High School before playing on a pair of GPAC championship teams and national-qualifying USF squad. "Tennis has always been such a family thing for us. My earlier memories include playing together as a family. We were there when my dad or grandfather coached and played and they were also there for us as we competed," she added.

His success at USF has been significant. Before moving to DII, Grebin was a six-time coach of the year in the GPAC when his men's and women's teams were conference champs from 2005-10. Five times his teams competed in NAIA national tournaments.

Since USF's transition to NCAA DII the Cougars have qualified for seven women's post season Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournaments while being awarded ITA-All Academic Team honors three times.

This past spring USF Tennis advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC Championships for the second time in school history (2019, 2016) and was sixth seeded at the championship. USF upset No. 2 Winona State by a 4-2 tally in the opening round. Redshirt sophomore Chloe Jefferies was named All-NSIC First Team for a second straight year which was a program-first.

With Grebin at the watch, USF Tennis has had eight All-NSIC selections since moving to DII in 2012. Jefferies is the first player to earn first-team honors in back-to-back seasons. Alison Kauss was named second team All-NSIC in singles in 2016. Kauss and Emily Erickson were second-team All-NSIC selections in doubles in 2016. In 2015, Joey Bosch and Kauss were named honorable mention all-league singles honorees. Bosch and Stacey Beard were honorable mention all-league honorees in doubles in 2015.

As Grebin prepares for this weekend, he is happy to know that his family will share in this special honor.

"You know that is what makes this really special. I wish my father was able to be here but he will be in spirit. But my mom, Deb, my daughters, sisters, cousins and numerous friends will be there. It makes it all worthwhile and will be a special time in my life," he said.