Hall of Fame
Detlev Nitsche played for the Broncs men's tennis team from 1965-67, during which time he won the 1965 NAIA Doubles Championship while partnering up with Sherwood Stewart. He also helped lead the Broncs to their fifth NAIA National Championship and 13th Big State Conference Championship. Nistche earned NAIA First Team All-American honors that season.
The following season, the Broncs joined NCAA Division I, and Nitsche immediately reached the NCAA Tournament, advancing as far as the doubles quarterfinals with partner George Kon.
Nitsche's strengths were his ability to serve and volley as well as his backhand.
“If it wasn't for the American military, I wouldn't have been able to come to Pan American,” Nitsche said. “They got Germany back on its feet after 1945.
“Tennis has given me so many opportunities in life. I got to travel to so many foreign countries and learn about so many different cultures.
Nitsche currently resides in Greer, South Carolina, where he continues to play. After playing tennis as an adult in his home country of Germany, Nitsche returned to Pan Am as a computer science teacher in 1976. He has since moved to South Carolina, where has been playing since 1989. He was the 1993 USTA South Carolina Adult Co-Player of the Year and was the champion of both the Marion Harris A.C.S. Senior Classic and the Sportsclub Greenville Senior and NTRP Championships in 2011.
“I feel so proud that this 1964 college has developed in this university,” Nitsche said. “This strong athletic program does make a difference. It helps inspires students to come to UTPA.”
