Craig Linton, Jr. FTU Blanket

According to The Central Florida Future issue from January 28th, 1972, Craig Linton, Jr. transferred as a junior from Western North Carolina University. While playing in North Carolina, Linton played tennis as number one as a doubles player. At Florida Technological University (now University of Central Florida), Linton played as numbers three and four throughout his tennis career. The February 9th, 1973 and April 23rd, 1973 issues of The Central Florida Future cite his change in numbers across various seasons. According to the June 1st, 1973 issue of The Central Florida Future, Linton had a 7-2 record in his final season and was considered one of the most valuable members of the team. He and three teammates (Bill McGrath, Charlie Herring, and Jim Kalaher) always “played on a winning note” throughout their time on the FTU tennis team. In 1973, all four of these players were scheduled to graduate. As stated by the April 23rd, 1973 edition of The Central Florida Future, "their leaving [created] quite a gap to be filled" for the following season. Other members of the team were Mike DeZeeuw from South Africa and Octavio Piva from Brazil. Mike DeZeeuw came to FTU at the age of 21 from East London, South Africa, where he had met Dr. Lex Wood while attending high school. Wood had offered DeZeeuw a scholarship to FTU in order to have DeZeeuw continue his family tradition.

Dr. Alexander Wood served as the head tennis coach for six seasons through his athletics retirement in 1977. Frequently referred to as Lex Wood by his students, he began the tennis team in 1970 with the recruitment of Jim Kalaher and Charlie Herring. Wood was eventually inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame. According to the January 28th, 1972 issue of The Central Florida Future, McGrath and Linton, both transfer students, “bolstered the racket squad” in 1972. Over the following season, these four students found themselves winning against big players such as Florida Atlantic University and Rollins College. Even when the team managed to lose, they were still praised for their excellent sportsmanship and effort. In one case documented by the April 28th, 1972 issue of The Central Florida Future, Craig Linton, Jr. lost a match due to an "old ankle injury that cause[d] him trouble".