By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize hundreds of Shawnee County's all-time greats in 25 sports/categories as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July, with the Top 25 in all categories announced in August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on: https://linkto.run/p/4PBM2JDD. Email votes/nominations will also be accepted at
-------------------------------------------------------
Candidates to be named the best all-time men's tennis history include a host of multi-time state champs to college Hall of Famers to longtime stars on the amateur circuit.
The hard part is deciding who gets the nod.
Tommy Hunter [Washburn Athletics]
John Grantham [Submitted]
The list includes former Hayden four-time state champion Tommy Hunter to three time state champ and former Kansas standout John Grantham as well as local and college Hall of Famers like Jeff Benson, Junior Brown, Tim Clark, Kevin Hedberg, Joel Hoffman, Dick Mechem and Mark Nordstrom and a long list of former state high school champs, dating back to Gene Echols in the late 1940s and including the latest state champ, Alex Sherer, who captured Rossville's first-ever state title this spring.
There are 25 candidates listed to pick from at https://linkto.run/p/4PBM2JDD while readers are encouraged to write in the names of their favorites.
Vote as many times as you wish, with the only requirement that eligible candidates must have grown up in Shawnee County or attended one of the county's 10 high schools.
Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes will be accepted through July 31 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in August.
NEXT UP: Women's track and field.
