University of St. Francis (III.)

Until John McEnroe or Jimm Connors decide to settle down in Joliet and send their children to CSF, there will be, most likely, no other player in the history of the men's tennis program who will do what Lee Irvin did from 1978-81. The only CSF player to ever compete on the pro circuit, Irvin ranks in the Top 10 of all six season and career categories, including the top spot in overall singles and doubles wins combined (154), matches played (239), doubles wins (83) and doubles matches played (115). The #1 singles and #1 doubles player during the era "fielding some of the most successful teams ever for the College of St. Francis," Irvin helped lead teams to the school's first-ever titles at both the conference and district levels in 1978 and 1979. Those same years, CSF notched back-to-back 25th-place finishes at the NAIA National Tournament. The 1981 team, with Irvin winning 47 matches to rank third all-time in that department, still holds the school record for the most number of victories with 19. A forward in basketball for two seasons, Irvin averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.