After 50 years of coaching tennis at Manitowoc Lincoln High School, Bob Feller has hung up his whistle.
Feller joined Evan Smith and Ryan Brahm for an episode of the On the Line Podcast this week, where he explained that he was initially hired to be a fill-in for a psychology teacher on a one-year contract.
“Not long after that, the principal came in and said ‘I know you are only on a one year contract, but we are kinda stuck here. Could you help us out,’” he recalled. “So that one-year contract turned into 50, and I don’t know how.”
Feller ended his career at the state tournament with Aiden Knuth and Coen Neuberg, just one win away from the podium, earning a 31 and 3 record.
While the rest of the team was rather inexperienced, Feller still had a blast this year.
“What made this season remarkable is how much fun we had,” he said. “Keeping those kids up even though they are coming off the court going ‘Oh no coach.’ But they just hung in there and we just kept saying ‘Don’t worry about the score. I want you to tell me how many times you got the ball over the net. I want you to tell me how your serve was today.”
Feller said that he will enjoy his retirement but miss being with the kids.
“Being with young people keeps you young,” he said. “They are all so very, very different. The big challenge psychologically was trying to figure out what was going on in their head. You know, how do I approach this player?”
Feller also said that he plans on making his first fishing opener in years, and that his wife will be filling that time he normally spent coaching in the spring.
You can hear the full interview on the PodBean App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Samsung Podcasts, or at SeehaferPodcasts.com.
