At 6, watching Dan Rosewall play Rod Laver for the WTC title, he saw Laver wore a red shirt and he had to have one to play in.One day, KSL's Paul James, who loves tennis, asked Brad if when he grew up, he would play for his dad at BYU. "Heck no, I'm going to UCLA," said Brad. Why? Because his dad always said his BYU teams could beat anybody but UCLA. Brad Pearce earned All-America citations every year as a Bruin.

A decade later, as a junior player, Pearce ranked No. 1 in the U.S., and he found himself at Wimbledon as a junior semifinalist in 1984. He eventually won four national USTA titles and was runner-up three other times. Brad played at Wimbledon every year through 1995. A two-time All-American at UCLA, Pearce turned pro after his sophomore year, but not before playing on a Junior Davis Cup team and in the Goodwill Games in Moscow in 1986, which led to a veteran of Grand Slam events many times over.

He is one of only 16 Americans in the last 23 years to reach the Final Eight in singles at Wimbledon.

His kids love to get out the photos of his UCLA days and make fun of his tight shorts and shirt. The shorts would make John Stockton's look like culottes. "Brad doesn't really like to talk about himself or what he has accomplished," said his wife, Cindi. "Anybody who knows Brad knows that first he is a family guy. He is extremely devoted to our family and spending time together."So, how good is Brad Pearce, still? He continues to play competitively. I asked him how he'd fare against his top players at BYU. I had to pry it out of him. "Oh, I guess I'd hold my own."

One of Brad's best memories of tennis is going around the world with his wife and kids.

Certainly playing on center court at Wimbledon in the 1990 quarterfinals against the No. 1 player in the world, Ivan Lendl, ranks at the top. Tennis has taught Pearce many things. At the top is gratitude for everyone who has helped his career, foremost his father, of course his mother, coaches, tennis associations and financial backers. "You can't accomplish anything noteworthy without help along the way," he said.

"Brad couldn't have had more support than he got from his parents, especially Carol, who was his greatest cheerleader," said longtime Pearce family friend, Don Morris.

As much as his father gave him the technical knowledge and taught him how to think on the court, Brad says he'll never forget calling home when away at a tournament to report he'd won and hearing his mother screaming for joy in the background. "She was always there for me, my greatest supporter."

Tennis also taught Pearce to nurture a competitive drive, a killer fire inside that all champions must have. It's a black hole in the heart where you give no quarter, take no prisoners, a place where winners win and pretenders falter.

"I'm not a physically imposing guy and there are deficiencies in other areas. But one thing I had is the desire to do whatever it took to be prepared to win. Once you are out in the midst of the battle, you have to have the desire to be the last man standing."

Brad Pearce, at 43, a Hall of Famer. What's next? You only have to dream.

Just ask his mother.

e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com