Bobby Montgomery - Profile

Bobby Montgomery is the father of Huntley Montgomery.
Bobby was an outstanding tennis player in his high school and
college days.  He has been a tennis club manager in North Carolina
and in Charlottesville.  And he is a realtor in Charlottesville with
his wife Voe, in the 2001-2006 time frame.

Bobby served as an assistant women's tennis coach in the 2000-2005
time frame and also helped out with the men's tennis team in that
time period.

Following is some more information on Bobby.

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FROM
www.henderson.k12.ky.us/sportshall/1995.htm

Bobby Montgomery, HCHS (Henderson County High School) 1981

Montgomery, a two-time state tennis champion, won the state
high school doubles title as a sophomore with Tom Scott and
came from the No.5 seed to win the state singles crown in 1981.

Undefeated in four regular seasons as a schoolboy, he went on
to post even more impressive credentials at Murray State:

  Four Ohio Valley Conference doubles championships and
  three singles titles, including No. 1 singles in his
  final season, when he was OVC player of the year.

His seven OVC titles were a league record. His career singles
record was 135-44 and his teams won four OVC team titles.



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Article from 'The Cavalier Daily', 12 Apr 2001

TITLE:  Montgomerys tackle tennis, life in tandem

by Ginny Min, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor


Virginia senior Huntley Montgomery credits his father,
Cavalier assistant coach Bobby Montgomery, for his growth as
a player and as a person.

Practice and discipline are words exchanged between player and
coach. Love and friendship are thoughts shared among father and son.

But to Bobby and Huntley Montgomery, who embrace both relationships,
their bond is something unprecedented. It's something only people
like Tubby and Saul Smith or Frank and Shane Beamer could understand.

"We have a very special relationship," said Bobby Montgomery, a
Virginia men's tennis assistant coach and the father of Cavalier
senior Huntley Montgomery. "We trust each other and are very open
with each other about everything. We are as close as you can
possibly be in a healthy relationship."

After all, the two probably spend more time together than any
other father and college son would. Since 1999, when the
Montgomery family moved to Charlottesville from Chapel Hill, N.C.,
and Bobby became an assistant coach, Bobby and Huntley have seen
each other frequently during practices and matches.

They also play each other once a week at the Glenmore Country Club,
where Bobby is the head tennis professional.

If it's not on the tennis courts, it's at home, where you can find
them watching sports, playing golf or, as Huntley put it,
"just hanging out."

"We always get stuck doing yard work together," he said with a smile.
"He's my dad, but he's also just like one of my good friends just
because we spend so much time together."

Even before Bobby and Huntley came to Virginia, things were never
any different. Bobby played at Murray State and posted the
third-best collegiate record in school history, 119-33, and a
top 200 world ranking.

It seemed natural for him to want his son to follow in his footsteps,
but Bobby consistently stressed the importance of academics and
encouraged Huntley to play a variety of sports.

Driven by great respect and admiration for his dad, Huntley found
his way back to his father's passion. From that point on, the
father coached the son, both in tennis and through childhood.

"I chose tennis because [my father] was like my hero," Huntley said.
"He's always been my coach. He's always pushed me."

Considering what Huntley has accomplished, it shows. At Chapel Hill
High, Huntley was two-time state champion, two-time North Carolina
player of the year and two-time PAC-6 most valuable player.

Known for his toughness and competitiveness, he now plays the
second spot for the Cavaliers and, teaming with senior partner
Brian Vahaly, is ranked No. 2 in the nation in doubles.

But as talented as he is, Huntley knows that his father played
a big part in his achievements.

"He's seen me play since forever," Huntley said. "He knows my
game better than anybody else. He always knows what he's talking
about, and I try to take everything he says to heart."

Both Huntley and Bobby admit that it wasn't always easy being
both player and coach, and father and son. As a coach, Bobby
found it difficult to push his son the same way he motivated
others.

As a player, Huntley felt it hard to receive constant criticism
from his father. For both, isolating the two aspects of their
lives became the biggest challenge.

"I found myself backing off sometimes just because I loved him
so much," Bobby said. "It's hard to put on the coach jacket
and then the daddy jacket. It's a very difficult situation."

"It was hard to just leave tennis on the courts," Huntley added.
"But I knew that he just wanted me to be the best."

Even through the hard times, however, Huntley and Bobby also admit
that they would never have it any other way. The two have learned
that they don't need to separate the relationships, and they
choose instead to embrace the unique connection they have.

"We spend so many hours together," Huntley said. "It's helped
with honesty, and it's definitely made us closer than anything else."

"Tennis is a microcosm of life," Bobby added. "Through tennis,
we've learned and benefited so much from our lifelong experiences
together." 

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