By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Perhaps the biggest hurdle Chris Ridley faced in writing his third book was getting longtime Washburn Rural Hall of Fame boys and girls tennis coach Kevin Hedberg to agree to the project.
Kevin Hedberg, during his induction into the Kansas Tennis Coaches Assocation Hall of Fame in 2023, is the subject of 'Coaching Legacy of Champions,' which will be released in the coming weeks. [File photo/TSN]
Hedberg, who retired in 2022 after 43 years in education and coaching, wasn't keen on the idea of talking about himself, but Ridley, who previously released books on legendary prep football coaches Merle Venable of Baldwin and Rural's Ron Bowen, was eventually able to sell his close friend on the book by hitting Hedberg in his soft spot -- his former players.
"I knew it was going to be a hurdle, because we met, about whether the book could be written,'' said Ridley, Washburn Rural's former athletic director who helped bring Hedberg to the school in 1991. "He wasn't sure that it was something that we ought to do.
"But I said, 'Well, think about the way Bowen felt, that it gave an awful lot of attention to an awful lot of kids that played.' That's what convinced Kevin was all the different kids that could be mentioned and their stories and their seasons. That's what he likes I think.''
Ridley is currently accepting orders for 'Coaching Legacy of Champions,' with the target date for release early next month.
"It should go to print here pretty quickly, we're hoping for the first of August,'' Ridley said. "It shouldn't take too long to get it printed. That's usually the fastest part of it.''
Hedberg, a former standout at Topeka High and South Florida and a member of the Topeka Tennis Association and Kansas Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame, said the book gave him an opportunity to re-live his 82 seasons (girls and boys combined) as a high school coach, beginning his career with an 11-year stint at Seaman before 32 years at Rural.
"I said no initially and then Chris came back at me with the team aspect,'' said Hedberg, who coached five state championship teams at Rural. "It was wonderful and looking back you just realize all the unique personalities that made up tennis teams. All teams have that, but in tennis you've got six people and they're in a van and you're learning all kinds of things. We had a van rule that whatever was said in the van never left the van. And most of the time they held to that.
"Those dynamics were so much fun. I got to have some really terrific players and then there were all the kids that got their start playing tennis. It's just fun to re-live it and that part was really fun.''
Kevin Hedberg retired in 2022 after more than four decades in education and coaching. [File photo/TSN]
While sports like tennis may not get the overall attention as sports like football and basketball, Ridley said that people like Hedberg heled make the sport a big deal.
"They used refer to them in college as a minor sport and I always felt like the part that made it not minor was the benefits that the kids got from being around a guy like Kevin Hedberg, not only on the tennis courts but if you had him in the classroom,'' Ridley said. "I never heard a disparaging word about him from anybody or any colleagues. I just think he's a legend.
"I was proud I was able to bring him to Washburn Rural. That made me pretty proud and I thought this (book) would be a good tribute. I got some things in there from his family, which was kind of fun, and there were a lot of things that I didn't know.''
Hedberg gives Ridley a lot of credit for making the book become a reality.
"He told me originally that it was going to be about 120 pages and it's 275,'' Hedberg said. "It's an undertaking. It's something that I never would have taken on. He's done a nice job with it and I really appreciate him doing it.''
'Coaching Legacy of Champions' is on sale for $20 and will be available to be picked up in Topeka at a site to be determined or shipped to the buyer ($5 additional fee).
Attached is the order form for 'Coaching Legacy of Champions':
https://forms.gle/4uzynF1H7Rick7qF6
