Hall of Fame
Pender Murphy '77 led the Hawks to three consecutive state team tennis titles and won the individual state championship in 1977. Pender played tennis at Clemson University, where he was a four-time All- American and led the university to three ACC team titles. In 1980, he set an NCAA record by winning 35 consecutive matches. Pender served as team captain of the Clemson team in 1981 and was named team MVP.
From Clemson, he joined the U.S. Tennis Association, where he reached a career high ranking of No. 102 in the world and competed in the French Open and U.S. Open in 1983. In 2008, Pender was inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Clemson Tigers Hall of Fame.
Pender and his wife, Patti, live in Charlotte and are parents to two daughters, Farrell '10 and Tricia '14.
