Doyle Royal
Doyle P. Royal (January 29, 1919 – September 29, 2020) was an American collegiate soccer and tennis coach. He coached the University of Maryland soccer team from 1946 to 1973, and the tennis team from 1954 to 1980.
 Royal at Maryland in 1949 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 1919[1] Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 2020 (aged 101) |
| Playing career | |
| 1939–1943 | Maryland |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Soccer | |
| 1946–1973 | Maryland |
| Tennis | |
| 1954–1980 | Maryland |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 217–58–18 (soccer) 296–114–1 (tennis) |
| Tournaments | 12–12–1 (NCAA) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Soccer: 1 NCAA Championship (1968) 17 ACC Championships (1953–1968, 1971) 3 Southern Conference Championships Tennis: 2 ACC Championships (1957, 1964) | |
Early life
Royal was a native of Washington, D.C. from a poor family. In 1939, the University of Maryland tennis head coach, Lesley Bopst, offered him a job and room to enroll at the college. At Maryland, he played both tennis and soccer.[2] Royal served in the United States Army during World War II.[3]
Coaching career
He became Maryland's first men's soccer head coach in 1946 and served in that position until 1973. In 28 years, the coach compiled a 217–58–18 (.771) record, including a 94–12–6 (.866) mark against Atlantic Coast Conference competition. His winning percentage ranks No. 1 all time among Maryland head coaches, and his number of wins rank No. 2 all time.[4] He led Maryland to the 1968 National Championship, where they tied Michigan State, 2–2, to share the national title.[5] Under Royal, Maryland won 17 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, including 16 outright. The Terrapins captured the conference title each year from 1953 to 1968, sharing the honors with North Carolina in 1966, and added another outright title in 1971.[6]
He was also the school's men's tennis head coach.[7] Royal served as the Maryland tennis from 1954 to 1980 and teams compiled a 296–114–1 record. His combined 513 wins with two different Maryland sports ranks second to Burton Shipley, who amassed 610 wins in basketball and baseball.[2] Royal was also an assistant dean of men at the university.[8]
The University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame inducted Royal in 1988.[9] In 1997, he was residing in Bethesda, Maryland.[10]
Later life and death
In 2019, Doyle celebrated his 100th birthday in Bethesda, Maryland at the Edgemoor Club. There he was presented with a 1968 men's soccer championship ring by Sascho Cirovski, the current head coach of Maryland soccer.[11]
Royal died in September 2020 of natural causes at the age of 101.[12]
References
- "U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- David Ungrady, Tales From The Maryland Terrapins, pp. 99–100, Sports Publishing LLC, 2003, ISBN 1-58261-688-4.
- Hall of Valor-Doyle P. Royal
- Coaching History Archived 2011-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved June 4, 2011.
- 1968 National Champions Archived 2011-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved June 4, 2011.
- 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Archived October 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (PDF), "ACC Men’s Soccer Annual Champions", p. 51, Atlantic Coast Conference, 2009.
- ACC MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic Coast Conference, retrieved June 4, 2011.
- The Terrapin, p. 103, University of Maryland, 1959.
- Wall of Fame Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved June 4, 2011.
- Tennis seniors rely on smarts, not speed Archived 2012-11-06 at the Wayback Machine, The Baltimore Sun, March 21, 1997.
- Yasharoff, Joe. "A Royal Celebration for 100 Year-old Coaching Legend". Montgomery Community Media. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- Pollak, Suzanne (2020-09-29). "101-Year-Old Tennis, Soccer Champion and War Hero Doyle Royal Dies". Montgomery Community Media. Retrieved 2020-09-30.