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'A great person all around.' Former Covington tennis coach remembered ahead of sectionals

LAFAYETTE ― The love for tennis and students is what former players remember the most when reflecting on the life of longtime Covington educator Terry Field. Boys and girls players alike fell for the sport and the man who would use his Christian faith as a foundation to teach the sport of tennis and instill an ever-present confidence, whether matches were won or lost. Advertisement "He was a really good inspiration," Covington doubles player Peyton Brown said. "Not only was he a really good tennis coach, he just made us better people as a whole and really brought us in as a team." Field died of cancer last July, leaving a generation of players to carry on his legacy. More: Girls tennis sectional draw for Lafayette-area teams: Tuesday matches moved to Purdue Covington tennis coach Terry Field left a lasting impact on boys and girls tennis players throughout his 39 years of coaching. He led the Covington boys tennis program to sectional titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2016, 2021, 2022. Field's crowning year was in 2021 when he captured the program's only semi-state and regional title, led by the state's No. 1 doubles team of Nolan Potter and Myles Potter. Field was named Indiana Boys Tennis Coach of the Year. Advertisement His success was prolific, helping the girls side as well. Covington won six straight sectionals between 1993-98 and three more in 2000, 2019 and 2021. Brown's doubles partner, senior Addison Streuer, recalled the prayers he'd have his teams perform before matches. "He gave us a strong connection with God and tennis," Streuer said. "We'd always pray before our matches. He was a great person all around. He always knew what to say to get us going." Former Covington tennis coach Terry Field (far left) with one of his 10 IHSAA boys tennis sectional championship team. Mentorship, guidance and calculus The wizardry of Fields knew no bounds. Along with coaching tennis, Fields was a mathematician who taught advanced calculus and inspired future educators like 1994 graduate Jeremy Pettit. Advertisement "He really found the good, or as he'd call it, the 'godly' thing in people," Pettit said. Pettit resides in Covington and is a practice player for athletes like Brown and Streuer. Growing up was difficult for Pettit and his twin brother Jeremy. He claims his father was in and out of trouble with the law, and together, they used sports as an outlet to better themselves. The tennis court is where they met Field. More: Lafayette Jeff's Sydney North goes from the balance beam to the baseline "He worked with so many people who dealt with parentless children at Covington and never treated anyone different," Pettit said. Advertisement Field helped Pettit earn opportunities and scholarships to play college basketball and tennis at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo on the island of Hawai'i. Pettit is now a Liberty Elementary fourth-grade teacher in Danville, Illinois. "He lived many, many lives," Pettit said. "Most people couldn't accomplish what he did in his 74 years." Continued legacy present and beyond Covington senior Addison Streuer dribbles the ball with her racket before serving during a practice rally at North Montgomery High School on Saturday, May 10, 2025 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Brown and Streuer carry on the legacy of Field, who also coached youth tennis players in Fountain County. Among them was Covington freshman No. 1 singles player Malah Bridwell. Bridwell had lessons with Field between sixth to eighth grade and remembered the confidence he instilled in her. Advertisement "He always knew what to say whenever I'd get down on myself," Bridwell said. "He knew how to get my spirit up." Now, the program moves forward with the IHSAA girls tennis sectionals commencing without its former coach, who ran Covington tennis since 1984. Current coach Jerry Taylor was previously at Fountain Central and remembers how influential Field was both as a competitor and as a friend. More: Lafayette Jeff's Elise Medrano helps raise $3,000 for cancer patient in Smash Cancer tennis match "Terry was a good, moral, Christian man," Taylor said. "He loved the kids, and he was always there. He was very successful in tennis, and we'd have some good matches. You always know you were going to get the best from Coach Field from either his girls or boys." Advertisement Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@ on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Covington tennis remembers longtime coach Terry Field