NEW YORK (AP) — Want to know how good Dick Gould’s teams were at Stanford? The answer was right there on his shoes.

Gould returned to the U.S. Open on Saturday and was honored during the first match of the night session. The longtime coach, who had John McEnroe among his many future pros, hadn’t been back to the event in years but his former players wanted to celebrate him this year.

Gould wore specially designed Nike sneakers that were made for him for the occasion. White and cardinal red, one had a 17 on it, signifying his total of NCAA national championships, with his record of 776-148 on the tongue.

“I loved coaching. I really enjoyed working with the age group, especially the 18 to 22-year-olds,” Gould said. “It’s the first time away from their parents, and you want to be independent, and the other hand, you can’t quite be, and sometimes some poor advice to help navigate things with you in a subtle way.”

Gould was at Stanford from 1966-2004. Only four coaches at any level of college, men’s or women’s, won as many national titles, and his players won 17 individual NCAA championships. Some of his best, topped by McEnroe and twins Mike and Bob Bryan, went on to win multiple Grand Slam titles.

He hadn’t been able to catch up with all of them on his first day back, noting that they are actually working at the U.S. Open or in tennis. John and Patrick McEnroe, who also played for Gould, are broadcasting the event. Bob Bryan is the U.S. Davis Cup captain.

“I think that’s one of the things I’m most proud of, just the idea that they’re still involved in tennis and they’re giving back to the game in some shape or form,” Gould said.

Gould had four players in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1983. He wonders now how good his, or any college teams, could be in the age of name, image and likeness, and with players now allowed to accept prize money while retaining eligibility.

“With all the NIL money, transfer portals and stuff, it’s just the Wild West out there,” Gould said. “One day to the next you don’t know what the rules are going to be.

“Now I think you could technically buy a championship by raising an extra amount of money for a year or two of players,” he added. “That’s a sad situation, if that were to happen, but I think it is a possibility nowadays.”

Gould, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association coach of the decade for the 1980s and 1990s, said he hoped his visit would help bring attention to college coaches as they navigate a much different time that his.

“I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I think hopefully my being here in some way brings some recognition to these coaches who are in the trenches and really have such a big, important part in the world,” Gould said.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here