Hall of Fame
Clyde Bunt set the tone for his outstanding career as a Viking tennis star by winning the Illinois state high school championship (in 1934) at the age of 14.
He enrolled at Augie in the fall of 1938 and following spring, as a freshman, won the South Dakota collegiate singles crown and then teams with Joe Aldrich to take the doubles title as well. His involvement in a spring tour with the college choir may have slowed his start as a sophomore, but he rounded into form in time to help the Vikings drub St. Cloud State 6-0 (a team which had a 28-0 record over the past two years). The only blemish on the 1940 record was a 2-4 loss to the University of Minnesota in the first match, just six hours after returning from the choir trip.
The 1941 season became a benchmark for Augustana tennis teams as Bunt, "Lefty" Johnson, Warren Opheim and Art Kilness made an April invasion of the southlands and came back with a 4-5 mark. The Viking drooped decisions to Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, Rice, and Arkansas Universities, but beat Texas Wesleyan, Kansas, Kansas State and Emporia State. They lost again to the Minnesota Golden Gophers but went on for the fourth straight year to remain undefeated by South Dakota opposition. Bunt and Johnson met in the SDIC single finals with Johnson emerging as the champ.
As a senior Bunt and his teammates again lost to the Midwest nemesis, the Minnesota Gophers, but continued to dominate area schools.
