Curt Hart leaves on top

 After 27 years of coaching Corbin High School tennis Curt Hart says it is time to rest and will retire. Hart just completed his “dream” season by leading the Redhounds to the runner-up spot in the first ever Kentucky High School state team championship. The Redhounds lost to state power, Louisville St. Xavier, but it was a dream season for the man who has coached 17 singles champions and 15 doubles champions along with claiming 21 regional championships.

Hart was on a streak leading Corbin to nine straight regional championships, quite a dominating number in southeastern Kentucky. He ends his career with 10 boys’ titles and four girls’ titles.

“I would have never dreamed of a final season like this one,” said Hart. “Actually going into the region I was thinking Whitley County was so tough and they had a good shot at the region. If Corbin didn’t win the region Whitley County with my step-daughter Nickie (Dugger) winning it would be the second best thing.”

“It was a total dream season,” he said. “The one thing we did was take it one game at a time. We ended up the regular season 18-0 and we played Trinity, Henry Clay and some South Carolina teams. And, unlike some of the other states we played in one class like the “Sweet 16” in basketball. We went up against the best. St. X had 2,000 boys and we have about 350.”

“I am really pleased because the boys worked really hard and they are the ones that I am the most happy for,” said Hart. “Just the smile one their faces meant a lot. They will get to wear t-shirts that we are having made up for them as state runners-up.”

Hart finished his final season 21-1.

He recalled coming back to Corbin some 30 years ago. “I thought I would get a teaching certificate because I might want to come back to Corbin someday and I always liked working with youth.

Coach (Cotton) Adams called me and asked me to come back to Corbin to do my student teaching, so I did and ended up coaching football that year,” he said.

“There was a job opening and they asked me to stay. That was 1981 and 30 years later here I am,” said Hart.

“I always had a love for tennis, but I coached football for 10 years, so a lot of my leadership and how to work with the athletes came from coach Adams and (Archie) Powers, John Jones and some other coaches,” added Hart. “They were just wonderful role models for me. I was a part of the ’82 state championship team.”

“I liked tennis, but we didn’t have a tennis team in high school so I didn’t play at the high school or college level so I learned on my own and played in tournaments,” Hart said.

“In 1983 I was able to come on board with tennis and I coached until 1990 when I became athletic director here at Corbin from 1990-’94,” said Hart.

“We had our first singles champion, Chuck Jody in 1983, then 1984 we won our first region title,” said Hart. “We won our first girls regional title in 1985. That team was undefeated.”

Hart has coached six singles champions dating back to his first season. They include Jody, Seth Hauser, who was all state, Josh Haines, Barrett Freeman, Lance Freeman and Brody Freeman, who was only the third player to be named to the all-state team.

His first doubles champions came in 1989 with Brian Gilmore and Ryan Smith and ended with this season champions, who pulled off the upset, Seth Heinss and Avery Warf.

“Our coaches at Corbin are teachers first,” said Hart. “I taught Physical Science for seven years then I taught the AP Chemistry classes and honors Chemistry and that has been a pleasure. Being involved with students away from the field and tennis courts has been fun as well.”

Hart also served as the first sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “I have just been blessed because I have been able to work with students academically, athletically and also through FCA spiritually,” he said.

“When I look at that early career and the way I was molded I have to give thanks to my parents because I was raised in a Christian home with Christian values so along with what I learned from the coaches instilled a sense of pride in my teaching and coaching,” said Hart.

“I was thinking back, I graduated from Corbin High School, so I spent 12 years in the Corbin system, 30 years teaching and coaching so that is 42 of my 55 years. My life has been at Corbin and Corbin High School,” he said.

“Curt Hart did a small part of it,” he said. First of all, we have wonderful athletes and that’s because of the wonderful support groups through parents. The tennis players take private lessons and I have a wonderful assistant coach Mike Cook, who has been with me for many years. The administration has been wonderful and anything I needed all I had to do was ask,” said Hart.

“A big milestone for me and Corbin High School was our new tennis courts several years ago,” Hart said. I was able to help design those and that was just wonderful and we had a couple of parents that did fund-raisers for lights and now we have one of the best facilities in southeast Kentucky and we have hosted the region the last three years in a row.”

“In my later years, I was able to bring the girls back with the 2003-2004 teams,” he said. “Middlesboro was so tough, but we were able to crack in and break their dominance. Plus, on that team I was able to coach my daughters, who I had been coaching since age three. They and my step-daughters were a part of those regional championships, so that was a lot of fun.”

“It has been a dream career in tennis,” said Hart. “Coaching is physically demanding, especially tennis. Once we start in March after the state tournament it is non-stop and we are on the road every weekend. When you teach all day and you’re getting home at 11 p.m., and you are gone on Saturday’s, it’s a pleasure to watch the athletes grow, but it is tiresome and it was time I rode the ‘Yellow Goose’ one last time and that was Saturday.”

“After 30 years of riding the ‘Yellow Goose’ I am ready.

Hart said he will also retire from teaching, but plans to stay active in tennis by giving lessons. “I will be able to travel and do some things around the house that I have not been able to do. I have always been active in my Christian walk so I will be able to go on a mission trip to Peru at the end of July and when school starts.”

“I will be still active with youth, but I will channel my energy a little differently,” concluded Hart.