Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 10
Fall 1993
On Campus
Rylander retires, LeRoy to coach men's tennis

     C Roy "Doc" Rylander, who served longer than any head coach in
University of Delaware athletic history, has retired after 41 years as head
of the Blue Hen men's tennis program.
     Laura LeRoy, Delaware '88, who recently completed her first season as
head women's tennis coach and as an assistant to Rylander,  adds the Blue
Hen men's tennis head coaching position to her duties.
     LeRoy becomes the first woman in University history to serve as head
coach of a men's team.
     Rylander, 72, compiled a 41-year record of 343-176-1 for a winning
percentage of .660 since taking over the position in 1953.  His 1974 team
was 19-3 and won the Middle Atlantic Conference title, while his 1975 team
went 15-1, the best season in school history.  His teams compiled a total
of 34 seasons with a .500 or better record, including 13-3 marks each of
the past two seasons.
     Rylander's record-setting tenure as a head coach in one sport is six
years more than former men's swimming coach Harry Rawstrom (1946-81) and 11
more than men's soccer coach Loren Kline (1963-93), who announced his
retirement from coaching in March.
     A Brooklyn native, Rylander earned his bachelor's degree from Southern
Illinois University and his master's and Ph.D. degrees from New York
University.  He joined the Delaware faculty in 1946 and served as head
trainer until his retirement from that position in 1988.
     Rylander was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association
Hall of Fame in 1986.  He also coached the U.D. gymnastics team from
1947-51.
     LeRoy, 26, a native of Wilmington, Del., is the winningest singles
player in Delaware history, compiling a record of 73-12 from 1985-88 and
winning two conference singles titles.  She was an assistant coach with the
women's tennis team for two seasons before taking over the head coaching
job last fall.  The team earned an 8-6 record and fourth place finish at
the North Atlantic Conference championships during her first season as head
coach.
     A former No. 1-ranked amateur player in the state of Delaware in both
singles and doubles, LeRoy is pursuing her master's degree in physical
education at Delaware.