2020 Hall of Fame Inductees

USTA Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation are thrilled to welcome our 2020 Tennis Hall of Fame inductees who have played pivotal roles in Oklahoma’s tennis community: Skip Griese and David Krunch Whitfield Kloberdanz.

Join us virtually for the premiere of the 22nd Annual USTA Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Awards Video Celebration to honor the Hall of Fame inductees and recognize the 2020 award winners! The date of the premiere will be announced in the near future.  

Skip Griese:

Skip Griese' was born in Stuttgart, Germany, into a military family that provided him the opportunity to travel throughout his youth, living in Colorado, Ohio, New York, Kansas, and Virginia. He arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, his senior year of high school.  He attended East Central University in Ada where he played tennis for four years and earned a degree in education.

After graduating from ECU, he accepted a job at Healdton High School where he coached football, basketball, baseball, and track. In 1980 he returned to East Central to be the Men’s Head Tennis Coach. During the four years at ECU, his teams won three Conference Championships. In 1984 he became Ada’s Boys and Girls Head Tennis Coach. He remained at Ada for 35 years as a coach and classroom teacher.  During that time, his girls’ teams won five State Championships and seven Runner-Up titles. His boys’ teams won nine State Championships and ten Runner-Up titles.  During his career at Ada, Skip coached 73 Individual State Champions and 53 All-Staters.

In 2013 he received the National Boys’ Coach of the Year Award.  He has also received the Oklahoma Tennis Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award ten times, two Oklahoma Coach’s Association Coach of the Year Awards, two Oklahoma District and two Missouri Valley Coach of the Year Awards.  In 2016 he was an inaugural inductee into the Oklahoma Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.

Skip and his wife Debbie have two children and five grandchildren.

David "Krunch" Whitfield Kloberdanz:

Krunch (whose real name is David but everyone has called him Krunch since his sister affectionally nicknamed him that when he was a baby) has been playing tennis since he was 3 by taking private lessons from Bill Rompf in 1978 at OCTC. 

Krunch won his first Oklahoma State Title in 10’s at the age of 6 and was ranked #1 in singles and doubles in 10’s, 12’s, 14’s, 16’s, and 18’s.  He never lost a match in his age division from age 10 thru 18 years old and defeated some of the top players in the nation at a young age.  Krunch also played on the Casady Highschool tennis team at # 1 singles and doubles, was the MVP for all 4 years and the team captain.  

As one of the top recruits in the US for his class, he attended Vanderbilt University on a full ride tennis scholarship and played #1 singles and doubles his Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.  Over his collegiate career, Krunchs’ tennis resume kept growing, while setting records, and had multiple wins over #1 ranked players and former NCAA Champions.  Krunch still holds the best season and career winning percentage in Vanderbilt doubles history.  

Unfortunately, due to back injury his Senior year of college, he only played one year on tour but during that year he was ranked in the hundreds in singles and doubles.   

He moved to Atlanta in 2003, after attending Vanderbilt MBA program School of Business, and winning several Distinguished awards for Finance throughout his career. Giving back is still a major priority for Krunch.  He is actively involved in the Atlanta community spending the majority of his efforts with the Make A Wish Foundation of Georgia.  

Krunch and his wife Courtney have three children, Palmer (14), Bailey (12), and Whitfield (9).  

For more information about the Oklahoma Hall of Fame please go to: http://www.oktennishalloffame.com/

Please support our sponsor; Oklahoma Tennis Foundation: 

Click here to make a donation to the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation or go to oktennisfoundation.org

“Oklahoma Tennis Foundation positively impacts lives by supporting & funding organizations that promote tennis and education throughout the great state of Oklahoma.”