Bruins Nation mourns with the UCLA family over the passing of Glenn Bassett

Today, we join the countless others who mourn the loss of legendary UCLA Bruins men’s tennis coach Glenn Bassett, who passed away at 93 years old.

A life well lived, a life well deserving of every accolade, Bassett passed away this past Tuesday.

Bassett coached the Bruins tennis squad for over 27 seasons, and finished his career upon his retirement as NCAA Division I leader in total winning percentage (.864). He racked up a record of 592-92-2 as UCLA’s head coach.

A Hall of Fame inductee in 1993, Bassett finally retired from coaching in 1996 after a one-year stint as the head coach at Pepperdine. Current UCLA men’s tennis head coach Billy Martin, who coached under Bassett for 10 seasons before taking his current role, had this to say:

“It’s a sad day for the Bruin family to have lost Glenn Bassett,” said Martin. “I was so fortunate to have played for him, worked under him and succeeded him. I feel very fortunate to have had such a great mentor. He was one of the most genuine people I have ever met and the biggest Bruin fan I’ve known. We’ll miss him dearly.”

Bassett coached the Bruins to seven NCAA Championships as well as 13 conference titles. He had 49 players earn All-American honors and he himself led the Bruins to their first ever championship as a player in 1950.

He is survived by his daughter, Cindy, and grandson, Shane McAlister, as well as McAlister’s wife and their three children.