COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - One of the most remarkable tennis careers in Saint John's University history came to a close 70 years ago this week.
 
Johnnie senior Lou Adderley defeated Macalester's Jack Roach 6-0, 6-4 in the singles title match at the MIAC championships in St. Paul, wrapping up his third-straight conference crown.
 
"I was always so impressed with his work ethic," recalled Patrick Wangen '58 – a tennis teammate during Adderley's senior season in 1955 – on the eve of his induction into the SJU J-Club Hall of Honor two years ago.
 
"We only had outdoor courts back then, but in the winter, he used to practice on the handball courts at Saint John's. He turned himself into the top player in the conference. He was very good. I think he could compete against a lot of the players today."
 
Indeed, Adderley – who came to SJU from The Bahamas – made an immediate impact upon arriving in Collegeville, finishing as conference runner-up as a freshman in the spring of 1952.
 
From there, he continued to dominate – and not just on the tennis court.
 
As a wrestler, he was the 1953-54 MIAC champion at 130 pounds and might have repeated as a senior the following year had he not been dealing with a back injury.
 
"When you saw Lou Adderley passing out laundry or waking up late sleepers on the second floor of St. Benet's Hall, you'd hardly expect him to be any kind of an athlete," wrote future U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger in a feature story on Adderley in The Record after his final conference championship in 1955. "Standing 5-foot-6, he weighs only around 130 pounds.
 
"But in the sports world, he was rated A-plus by the many competitors who were affected both by his quiet personableness and his ability to take advantage of their mistakes."
 
Adderley – who died in 2003 – returned to The Bahamas following his graduation from SJU and continued to make an impact athletically as a longtime coach, principal and director of athletics at St. Augustine's College, a secondary school for grades 7-12.
 
"Some educators come into the lives of children and leave such an impact on them that they are never forgotten," wrote Felicity Darville in a May 2002 article for Tribune Media in The Bahamas. "Deacon Leviticus Louis Joseph Adderley was one of them.
 
"As the beloved principal of St. Augustine's College for many years, he impacted the lives of countless SAC students, molding nation leaders and global influencers. Deacon Adderley was affectionately called 'Dad,' 'Uncle Lou,' 'Uncle' and 'Deac' by those who knew and loved him. He was a mentor to many and a friend to thousands."
 
In a 2023 interview, Adderley's daughter Daria said her father's time at SJU helped shape his future work.
 
"He and his family felt it was an extreme privilege for him to be at Saint John's and he never took that for granted," she said. "The Benedictines inspired him. They showed him he had worth. They backed him and supported him in everything he wanted to do. And I think he really wanted to help provide some of the support he has been given to others."

10 years ago (2015)
Former SJU head basketball coach Jim Smith and former CSB athletic director and volleyball coach Carol Howe-Veenstra – each of whom had announced their retirements earlier in the 2014-15 school year – received Distinguished Service Awards from the MIAC.

30 years ago (1995)
Dan Besemann won the javelin en route to finishing seventh in the decathlon and earning All-America honors at the NCAA Division III track and field outdoor national meet on May 25 at Carleton in Northfield.