The late Fred Kniffen was a state champion tennis player for the Clyde Bulldogs during his high school career. He played tennis at Hardin-Simmons, and won the Border Conference Doubles Championship in 1958. Kniffen was Abilene Cooper’s first tennis coach prior to moving to Tyler, where he started the tennis program at Tyler Junior College in 1973. Kniffen was a member of the Hardin-Simmons Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame, The Texas Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the National Junior College Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the UT Tyler Athletics Hall of Fame.. He was voted the NAIA Coach of the Year three times, National Junior College Men’s Coach of the Year twice and National Junior College Women’s Coach of the Year twice.
