RIPON, Wis. - Charlie Larson III '00 has been around the game of tennis since he was in diapers, as his father Chuck Larson '65 was an All-Conference player as a Ripon College student, before parlaying that into more than 35 years as the program's head coach, winning 23 Midwest Conference Tennis Team Championships, including 19 with the men's team. The younger Larson was a key cog in three of those championship teams during his four-year career. Both Larson's have been inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame, making them one of four father-son combinations to earn that distinction. The younger Larson, who also participated in cross country for the Red Hawks, earned that honor in 2011.

"Playing tennis and running cross country added significantly to my Ripon College experience. The camaraderie of being on a team, working hard together, and striving to meet goals are all things that can't be replicated or learned in a book," Larson III said. "Twenty years after graduating, most of the friends I still communicate with on a regular basis from Ripon are former teammates, and playing for my dad and the legacy he created at Ripon is something I'll never forget."

Still Ripon's career leader in singles victories, Larson III went 84-6 during his outstanding four-year tennis career. He also ranks fifth (along with partner Tom Ruffolo '99) in doubles victories with a 56-15 career record. In addition to Ripon's three team championships that he was a part of, Larson III also won seven additional conference championships, four in singles play, across four different flights, and three in doubles play, twice playing at the top flight with two different partners.

"Charlie was the best combined practice and match player that I've ever coached. He never "dogged" it at practice and took every match he played seriously, regardless of the opponent's ability," legendary head coach Chuck Larson '65 said. "Charlie learned as a 12-year-old (from Ripon alum Jim Janikowski) to swing hard at every ground stroke, regardless of whether it was the first game or a third-set tiebreaker. Charlie was never cautious when a close match neared its conclusion, which gave him a tremendous ability to close out matches."

Having his father as Ripon's head coach likely helped Charlie become a more advanced and skilled tennis player earlier than he otherwise would have, as he was able to pick up tips and skills by watching his dad's former players and all the success that they achieved. Playing for his father remains an amazing experience that neither Larson will ever forget.

"I loved playing for my Dad, but when I became one of his players, he wanted us to have a player-coach relationship. That might sound odd and less personal, but it really helped me feel more like part of the team," Larson III said. "I called him Coach instead of Dad, and he never mentioned anything at home that might have been overheard during our team's long van rides. It was so special to be able to play tennis for him during my time at Ripon, and we still reminisce about those years."

Out of all of the numerous memories and matches, there's one that stands out to Charlie after all this time, which is a moment that capped off his spectacular career in perfect fashion.

"Winning the MWC Team Championship my senior year was something I'll never forget. We had won the conference championship in my freshman and sophomore seasons, but were upset in the finals my junior year. The following season, as a Senior, we reached the finals again against Lake Forest," Larson III said. "They took two of the three doubles matches to earn the point (four points were needed to win a match. One for each singles and one for winning two of the three doubles matches), and they weren't shy in showing that they expected to cruise to the title. However, our team was more talented at singles than doubles that season, and we took it to them, winning the first four completed matches to take home the trophy."