William “Bill” Bartlett was one point from losing to second-seeded Dave Andrews of University High in the 1977 boys tennis state championship, when an unforced error by Andrews opened the door for the Punahou senior. Given new life, Bartlett overcame the deficit to tie the match before going on to win the third set, the match and a place in the Punahou record books.
Bartlett, who led the program to state team championships during all four of his years, became the School’s first three-time state singles champion from 1975 to 1977.
He played collegiately at UCLA, where he earned two varsity letters and was part of the Bruins’ 1979 national championship team before going on to become an instructor and a U.S. Professional Tennis Association teaching pro.