The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2018
- Class:
- 2018
Gary Plock starred at No. 1 singles for a Texas Tennis team that featured three of the most dominant players in Longhorns history in an era when the Southwest Conference fielded as many as five of the nation's top-20 teams on an annual basis. A tennis hall of famer in the state of Kentucky, Plock was a two-time All-American at Texas where he claimed a pair of SWC doubles titles. The big-serving lefty teamed with Longhorn Hall of Honor members Kevin Curren (Wimbledon finalist in 1985) and Steve Denton (1981-82 Australian Open Finalist) for much of his career. His .723 (73-28) career singles winning percentage ranks as the 11th best in UT history, and his conference doubles titles were the first for the Horns in 20 years. As a senior, the SWC Championship duo of Plock and Curren knocked off Stanford's tandem of John McEnroe and Bill Maze to reach the NCAA Championships doubles finals and wound up second. Plock, Curren and Denton led the Horns to the 1977 SWC Championship and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championship. Plock teamed with Curren that year to win the SWC doubles title and advance to the NCAA Championships doubles quarterfinals. Plock and Curren were U.S. Amateur Indoor Doubles Champions in 1977. That same year, Plock won the U.S. Amateur Singles 21-and-Under Championships. He led the Horns to an 11th-place finish at the 1975 and 1976 NCAA Championships. Plock's outstanding junior record included winning the 1974 Sugar Bowl International Championships in New Orleans. Plock was a three-time U.S. Junior Davis Cup member and was the U.S. Junior Southern Champion and Kentucky High School State Singles Champion for four straight years, including a runner-up finish at the state championship as an eighth grader. Plock played the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour in Nice, France, Monte Carlo and other European cities before focusing more on his studies, teaching, and sports business. Plock is currently managing partner of GP Sports, Inc., a marketing and advertising company in Lexington, Kentucky.
