Duane Gabrielson

Tennis Head Coach - 1971-2012

"Duane "Gabe" Gabrielson coached tennis for over 30 years at Shawnee Mission SouthHS. During most of that time, he coached both the girls' and boys' teams. Gabe was new to coaching when he started his tennis coaching journey at Shawnee Mission South, having played basketball collegiately at Baker University. He started as a volunteer assistant tennis coach in 1971. From there, he became head coach in the mid-1970's finishing up at the end of 2010. His teams were 8-time State Champions, 4-time Regional Champions, and 4-time Sunflower League Champions. He coached 10 state singles champions, 3 state doubles champions, and numerous other placers in both. He coached the only tennis player in Sunflower League history who never lost a set or a match in her entire high school career, current Raider Athletic Hall of Fame member, Karen Bunag. He has been recognized as both the Kansas Tennis Coach of the Year and the National Tennis Coach of the Year (out of over 300,000 coaches.) Gabe was a math teacher for the entirety of his career at Shawnee Mission South. He left quite a legacy, positively impacting thousands of lives through both teaching and coaching. In the words of his great competitor and friend Larry Tice, "There was no one more capable of handling and coaching his teams… No one surpassed his demeanor, fairness, honesty, confidence… He set an example of excellence for all coaches." As with all legacy coaches, there is only one place where he belongs. Coach Gabrielson – welcome to the Raider Athletic Hall of Fame."