Tom Smith, Georgia, 2018

Top Senior Player from Alpharetta, GA

Few Southern players have shown the devotion to playing high-level tennis at all ages as Tom Smith.

While Smith turned 65 this year, he keeps up an active playing schedule in adult tournaments and USTA League. A resident of Alpharetta, GA, a northern suburb of Atlanta, he also plays on Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) teams.

Among his long list of accomplishments are winning a World Individual Doubles Championship with Southern and Georgia Tennis Hall of Famer Hugh Thomson as well as 43 gold balls (emblematic of capturing USTA national championships). He has also collected 25 silver balls (which go to finalists) and 13 bronze balls (for third-place finishes). In addition, he was honored many times as Senior Player of the Year by USTA Southern, USTA Georgia, and USPTA Southern section.

Smith was a member of the 2012 Men’s Super Seniors 9.0 combined USTA League national champion team that also featured two Southern Tennis Hall of Fame members (Steve Duffel and Thomson) as well as Marty Pearson, a Mississippi Tennis Hall of Famer.

A notable force on the world tennis stage, Smith has been selected by the USTA to represent the USA on the ITF Vets World Senior Davis Cup Team 10 times and served as the team captain six times. In 2013 they won the world championship in Austria.

“The first time I played on a national team was 2002. Playing for your country is the greatest feeling,” Smith said. “It was fantastic to be standing there with ‘USA’ on our backs at the (ITF World Championships) opening ceremonies.”

Smith has always enjoyed playing doubles more than singles. Even though he’s won five Gold Balls in singles, he explained, “I wouldn’t walk across the street to play singles. … I’ve always enjoyed the team aspect of doubles. I’ll always say yes when asked to play on a team, whether it be for the United States or a USTA League team.”

Smith has won national championships with 16 different partners, many of those being Hall of Famers in their own right. In fact, Phil Landauer, a Floridian who is in the Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame, has been Smith’s most frequent partner.

In 2008 Smith had a career year. Playing with Landauer, they won the “Golden Grand Slam” by taking four USTA national titles on four different surfaces: hard, clay, grass, and indoor. That year Smith received USTA Southern’s Slew Hester Male Player of the Year award.

Landauer, who played at the University of Arkansas, remembered the last match to seal the 2008 slam, “A windstorm delayed all the matches that day by five hours which moved our match into the 20,000-seat stadium court (where we ended up playing our most important match) with only seven people watching.”

Smith grew up in Southern California and first started playing on asphalt courts in Buena Park. A self-taught tennis player, he never competed in the juniors but played on his junior high and high school teams. Smith attended the University of California at Long Beach on a tennis scholarship.

“I’ve never taken a tennis lesson,” said Smith, who was also the captain of his high school basketball team. He explained that in junior high and high school, none of his coaches were tennis players. “Even at Long Beach State, our coach just came out to run drills and make up the lineup.”

Smith was a policeman in Los Angeles County before moving to Atlanta, where he now resides with his wife, Debbie. They have five children between them.

• Achieved the rare “Golden Grand Slam” by taking USTA national titles on four different surfaces with Phil Landauer in 2008.

• Won the World Individual Doubles Championship with Hugh Thomson.

• Winner of 43 gold balls (emblematic of capturing USTA national championships).

• Collected 25 silver balls and 13 bronze balls in USTA championships.

• Honored with the 2008 USTA Southern Slew Hester Male Player of the Year award.

• Named Senior Player of the Year by USTA Georgia and USPTA Southern section.

• Member of the 2012 Men’s Super Seniors 9.0 combined USTA League national champions.

• Came in third or better in a USTA championship in every year since 1995.

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Dan Santorum, South Carolina, 2018

CEO of Professional Tennis Registry

Most people who are cruising down I-95 and headed to the famed Florida – Georgia football game don’t have second thoughts about their destination. Dan Santorum did.

Thirty-three years ago, he took exit 28 in South Carolina, changing his career and his path to induction into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.

“I was going to a Florida-Georgia game to meet my buddies that I went to school with at Florida,” Santorum said. “I saw the sign for Hilton Head Island. I made a last second turn and got off the exit.”

When he arrived at the club of PTR founder and President Dennis van Der Meer and his wife, Pat, they were both there. Although Santorum had already expressed interest in a coaching job with the famed tennis coach, organizer, and advocate, Santorum was thrilled with the reaction he received.

He remembers Pat saying, “I was just thinking of you.” Then he realized that his decision to create an impromptu, uninvited job interview showed more than the usual amount of interest. The year was 1984, and he took Pat’s job offer without blinking.

Santorum taught for two years traveling the world with Dennis and Pat. Van der Meer was looking for an executive director and his search was coming up dry. “I’ll give it a try,” said Santorum. The next day, the Butler, PA, native was in charge of the fledgling organization with a charge to make it grow . . . and grow it he did.

As CEO of PTR for the past 31 years, Dan leads the world’s largest global organization of tennis teachers/coaches. Santorum has conducted more than 400 PTR educational workshops on six continents, 45 countries & 200+ cities. He is proud that he is the first person to conduct tennis coaches’ workshops in all 50 US states and meeting so many wonderful and dedicated tennis professionals and coaches along the way.

Former USTA and USTA Southern President Lucy Garvin remarked, “Dan will quickly tell you it was a blessing beyond words to have had Dennis as his mentor and friend. He used many of the skills that he acquired from Dennis and developed his own talents to grow the organization into the wonderful organization that it is today.”

In the early 1990s, Santorum created the PTR ACE Program, whose first spokesperson was none other than the legendary Arthur Ashe. Today, the ACE program, which continues to excel, has led to thousands of coaches of color becoming educated and certified to teach tennis in the USA. In 2001, he developed a successful program aimed at increasing the number of young tennis teaching professionals in the United States — PTR on Campus. In 2010, he provided the vision for a new education and certification pathway that helped revolutionize the profession. During his tenure, PTR has grown from an organization of 2,500 members in 68 countries to an organization with more than 16,000 members in 125 countries.

Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Roy Barth said, “In the past ten years since Dennis fell ill, Dan has been the face and the visionary of the PTR. He was ahead of the curve on implementing the 10 & under program as well as developing five educational pathways for pros to meet their individual educational goals.”

A dedicated USTA volunteer for the past 28 years, he has served on several USTA, USTA Southern and USTA South Carolina committees. He’s a member of the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame. Additionally, he is the recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Educational Merit Award and the ITF Service to the Game Award.

Santorum is one of two current USTA Southern presidential appointments and is a member of its Tennis Professionals Committee. He also sits on numerous non-profit tennis industry boards including the International Tennis Hall of Fame, National Public Parks Tennis Association and Tennis Industry Association.

Santorum holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Missy, live in Hilton Head Island where they raised their three children – Caroline, Allie, and Michael.

• Served as PTR’s Executive Director since 1986.

• Inducted into South Carolina Tennis and USTA Middle States Halls of Fame.

• Created the PTR ACE Program, which led to recruiting thousands of coaches of color.

• Serves as a USTA Southern Presidential Appointee and member of the Tennis Professional Committee.

• Recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Educational Merit.

• Board member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, National Public Parks Tennis Association, and Tennis Industry Association.

• Recipient of the ITF Service to the Game Award.

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Laura DuPont, North Carolina, 2018

Laura DuPont is arguably the finest female tennis player ever from North Carolina, having reached a world ranking of No. 9. She won the 1979 Canadian Open, the 1977 German Open and 1977 US Clay Courts. Additionally, she reached the finals of seven other WTA tournaments in singles or doubles.

She also was a star basketball player in high school and in college. DuPont was the first female All-American at UNC and won the first national championship for UNC. DuPont is being inducted into her fourth hall of fame: ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame., North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Charlotte Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

Her story and legacy is important for young girls everywhere who dream of success in sports.

DuPont was born on May 4, 1949, in Louisville, KY, lived in Chattanooga, TN, and moved to Charlotte, NC, in 1964. She graduated from Catholic High School excelling in basketball (38-point average), but there was no girls’ tennis program. However, DuPont became the North Carolina junior 16s and 18s state champion in 1965 and 1966 while in high school. In 1966, she was also the North Carolina state adult doubles champion with Julia Anne Holt. Next year, she was the North Carolina state adult singles champion and doubles champion with Holt. In 1969, Laura was the state adult singles champion.

She attended Greensboro College for two years and then the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, graduating in 1972 with a B.A. degree in Physical Education. At UNC, Laura lettered in basketball with a 30-point scoring average. In tennis, she went undefeated in match play. UNC men’s tennis coach, Don Skakle, was unsuccessful in trying to obtain permission to have her play on the men’s team.

She captured the Mid-Atlantic Singles Collegiate Championships in 1968, 1970, and 1971. In 1970, she also won the doubles.

DuPont was the first woman at UNC to ever win a United States National Collegiate Championship, when on June 20, 1970, at New Mexico State in Las Cruces, NM, she defeated Linda Tuero of Tulane in the finals 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Tuero is also a Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee.

She almost did not get the opportunity to compete in that National Championship. Frances Hogan, her Tar Heel tennis coach had to persuade the UNC athletic administrators to send her. She remembered that Hogan “told them to send me because I was going to win the tournament. I didn’t know that at the time. I was probably seeded fourth or fifth, and the person (Linda Tuero) seeded first, I had never beaten her.

Hogan said “when it was over, tears were rolling down my face. I was just thinking that it almost didn’t happen. She almost wasn’t there. From that point on, Laura realized she could compete against the best. She was quick, but I think she was a good thinker on the court.”

DuPont always considered being the first female national champion at UNC to be her most memorable accomplishment. In 1998, she told the Raleigh News & Observer as Tar Heel of the Week. In 100 years or 200 years, no one will know I won the Canadian Open, but I will still be the first at UNC.”

In 1970 she was named the North Carolina AAU Athlete of the Year. In 1971, she won the Southern Championships and was ranked No. 1 by USTA Southern.

In 1977, she was ranked No. 10 in the United States. In 1980, the USTA ranked Laura and Pam Shriver No. 4 in doubles in the United States. The USTA ranked Laura and Barbara Jordan No. 8 in doubles in 1981 and No. 11 in doubles in 1982.

In recommending DuPont for induction, Shriver wrote, “We won tournaments, played against the best in the world, and even qualified for the Tour Championships. … I remember losing to Laura in singles when she beat me with her smart tactics and patience. I recall many doubles matches together when she was the level-headed team captain helping us think our way to win.”

Others who wrote in their support for Dupont were Billie Jean King, USTA President & CEO Katrina Adams, Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Mildred Southern, and other notables.

Famous tennis journalist and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Steve Flink described her as “a formidable clay-court player known to her friends as ‘Flash’.”

She earned the respect of her peers on the international world tour and was elected to serve the Women’s Tennis Association for 10 of the formative years for women’s professional tennis:

1974-1983 WTA Board of Directors

1975-1979 WTA Treasurer.

1979-1981 WTA Vice President.

1981-1984 WTA Executive Committee.

In 1974, she was a leader in the development of the first computer rankings system for women’s professional tennis.

After retiring from the international tour, DuPont became the manager and teaching pro at Shriver’s Orchard Indoor Tennis Club in Baltimore until the club was sold in 1996. In 1997, she moved back to Chapel Hill to manage and teach tennis at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.

Sadly, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and considered her fight against her cancer to be “the greatest match of my life.” She passed away on February 20, 2002, at Duke Hospital in Durham, NC at age 52.

• Reached a world ranking of No. 9.

• She won the 1979 Canadian Open, the 1977 German Open, and 1977 US Clay Courts.

• Played in the finals of seven other WTA tournaments in singles or doubles.

• Served on the WTA Board of Directors for 10 years and as vice president and treasurer.

• First female All-American at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

• Won the first national championship for University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

• Previously inducted into three other halls of fame: ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame., North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Charlotte Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

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Jeff Gray, Alabama, 2017

Even Jeff Gray doesn’t think it’s possible that he has been involved in the sport of tennis for almost 50 years.

Born in Houston, Texas, but being the son of a Shell Oil Company employee and part of a family that moved frequently in the 1940s and 1950s, Gray didn’t play organized sports outside of youth baseball. When he was set to leave for college at the age of 18, a neighbor gave him a used tennis racquet as a gift, and his life changed forever.

“I ended up playing daily in college,” stated Gray. “I played three years of college tennis and played on the first tennis team for the University of West Florida.”

That set the wheels in motion to be a tennis “lifer” and for soft-spoken Gray to give back in so many ways to the sport he loved. It also included a move to USTA Southern as he entered graduate school and was named the Assistant Tennis Coach at Middle Tennessee State University. Following his graduation in Murfreesboro, Gray took the position of head pro at the newly established Pensacola Racket Club. The next year he moved to Mobile and began a stint as a pro at Mirror Lake Racquet Club.

Gray would put down roots in Mobile, as he has been employed for 35 years and counting as Director of Tennis at the Country Club of Mobile.

While the tennis community is known for volunteering and lending a helping hand, Gray has been a leader in giving back. For USTA Alabama, he has been past Chair of both the Junior and Adult Ranking committees. He served as State President in 1978 and was Captain of the Senior Cup Team and currently is Chair of the USTA Alabama Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

At the section level, he has been Chairman of the USTA Southern Junior Ranking Committee and served two stints as a member and one as chair of the Nominating Committee. Gray served admirably as President of USTA Southern in 2005-2006 as well as a Delegate as Large on the Board of Directors, a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Grievance Council.

USTA even called upon Gray to serve as Vice Chairman of the Adult/Senior Competition Committee from 2005-06, a Delegate from USTA Southern in 2007-08 and a member of the Sectional President’s Committee in 2005-06.

For many, Gray is best known for his relief work when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. Serving as USTA Southern President, Gray brought the affected states together with the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation and the USTA tennis family to raise over $1,100,000. The donated funds not only rebuilt facilities, but also assisted displaced tennis professionals and restarted adult and junior USTA programs at new or alternate sites.

As a player, Gray has been ranked No. 1 in Alabama in various age groups. He won the USTA Southern Senior Open and Closed in both singles and doubles in addition to the 45s USPTA National Doubles Championships in 1991.

“Probably the highlight of my playing career was playing on the winning Alabama Senior Cup and Intersectional teams,” explained Gray. “But it was very special to win the Country Club of Mobile Labor Day Professional Doubles in 1989.” This is an annual event and one of the most prestigious events in the South.

A distinguished member of the USPTA and Professional Tennis Registry, Gray is no stranger to Hall of Fame inductions. He is in the Mobile Tennis Hall of Fame, the University of West Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and the USTA Alabama Hall of Fame. He is a two-time winner of both the USPTA Southern Pro of the Year and USTA Alabama Pro of the Year Awards. He was also presented with the Jacobs Bowl, for his dedication to the game in 2006, by USTA Southern as well as the “Pride of the South” award from the USPTA Southern Division.

Like many other coaches and proponents of lifetime and youth sports, Gray realizes there are challenges that lie ahead with the current generation and generations to come, but he is seeing a payoff reflected in the growing usage of courts at the Country Club of Mobile. Since he started keeping figures 25 years ago, he’s seen a plateau of about 2,000 players a month (for all courts) increase to more than 3,300 players per month. Gray has set a goal of being eco-friendly and making the best use of natural resources.

“I’d put our courts up against anybody’s. They’re the prettiest clay courts you’ve ever seen,” says Gray. “Even better, they require less maintenance—always a headache with clay courts—and use one-third the amount of water that the courts were consuming before the system was installed. More play and less water is a win-win.”

• USTA Southern President from 2005-06 and Delegate at Large on USTA Southern Board of Directors.

• Member of the first tennis team for the University of West Florida.

• Inducted into Mobile Tennis Hall of Fame, University of West Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, and USTA Alabama Hall of Fame.

• USTA Alabama State President in 1978 and served as Captain of the men’s Senior Cup Team for many years.

• USTA Vice Chairman of the Adult/Senior Competition Committee 2005-06.

• United States Professional Teaching Association and the Professional Tennis Registry member and former Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee for USPTA Southern.

• Assistant Tennis Coach for Middle Tennessee State University.

• Two-time winner of USPTA Southern Pro of the Year Award.

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Ned Caswell, Tennessee & Georgia, 2017

• Two-time All-American at Furman University, reaching the NCAA individual singles quarterfinals in 1987. He also graduated with a degree in Business Administration.

• Originally a starting guard for the Furman basketball team.

• Southern Conference MVP, winning the Southern Conference singles title in both 1986 and 1987.

• Member of USTA Junior Davis Cup team in 1987 with Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Malivai Washington, Jeff Tarango, and David Wheaton.

• Career-high ATP World Tour ranking of No. 200.

• Professional wins over Pete Sampras, Patrick McEnroe, and Tim Wilkison. One of Caswell’s most memorable matches was a loss to John McEnroe in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round of the 1989 Canadian Open played in Montreal.

• Took the Anderson (S.C.) College team to the junior college national championship in 1992 and has led Baylor (Chattanooga) girls’ tennis to numerous TSSAA titles. In 2010, was named Best of Preps Coach of the Year. He also was named National Coach of the Year twice while leading Anderson College to the 1992 National Junior College title.

• Has won 16 gold balls on the national senior circuit and held the No. 1 world ranking in singles and doubles in Men’s 35s, for 1999/2000. World Champion in singles for 1999 and doubles in 1999 and 2001.

• 2010 “Best of Preps” Coach of the Year.

• Twice named National Coach of the Year while at Anderson College.

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Pat DeVoto, Georgia, 2017

Known as the “Mother of USTA League tennis”

In 1978, Pat Devoto was among a small group of volunteers who pioneered a new program. Growing from that grassroots innovation to the nation’s most popular tennis program, she jumpstarted USTA Leagues. Marilyn Sherman called her “the mother of USTA League tennis” when Devoto was honored with the 2005 Charlie B. Morris Jr. Service Award from USTA Southern.

This accomplishment was cited earlier in 2016 when Devoto was the recipient of the USTA League Volunteer Award. USTA Executive Director & COO Gordon Smith remarked, “Pat Devoto’s contributions to our League program are legendary. I shudder to think where our League program would be if she hadn’t been at the right place at the right time.”

Based on Devoto’s experience and vision, more than a half-million Americans gather weekly to team tennis.

But forming an adult tennis institution was just the start of her involvement in USTA. Over thirty years she has been a consistent presence and force in promoting tennis through volunteering. For her long-time service, Devoto, of Decatur, Ga., received the Jacobs Bowl in 2013, USTA Southern’s highest honor.

On the local front, she served as the Vice President of USTA Georgia and two-time President of USTA Atlanta. On the sectional level she served as Director at Large on the USTA Southern Board of Directors, along with being a member of the League, Marketing, Olympic, Membership, School/After School, Public Relations, Community Programs committees and on the Publications Task Force.

On the national level she was appointed to the following USTA committees: Leagues, Olympic, Membership, Public Relations, Marketing, Publishing and Schools/Afterschool.

In Atlanta, she coordinated volunteers at the 1996 Olympic tennis center, co-founded Techwood GAP, an afterschool program of intercity youth and coordinated student volunteers for the Davis Cup tie. Additionally, she worked as a State League Coordinator and managed Dekalb Tennis Center for an extended period.

Devoto was the founder and tournament director of the Southern Cities Championship.  This women’s competition served teams from throughout the Southern Section for 18 years and dispensed thousands of dollars to local charities by way of the winning teams.

Two other programs are close to her heart: “Reading for Racquets” based out of Dadeville, Alabama and designed to bring tennis to elementary and high school children.  Additionally, she makes a monthly visit to the Montgomery Women’s Facility in Montgomery Alabama, to conduct an ongoing book club and has introduced tennis to the women there. As a result, “The Alabama Slammers” are a member club of the USTA.

An accomplished novelist, her latest novel “The Team” is about – believe it or not – a women’s tennis team. Other well-known books include “My Last Days as Roy Rogers” and “Out of the Night that Covers Me.” She writes under the name of Pat Cunningham Devoto.

The Alabama native received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee.  She taught high school social studies for several years. Besides earning a private pilot’s license, she has served on the Board of Directors of Aid to Inmate Mothers, Alabama; Board of Directors of the Dekalb Historical Society, Dekalb County, Georgia; President, Pace Academy Parent’s Booster Club, in Atlanta and President of her neighborhood Swim and Tennis Club, in Decatur, Ga.

• Considered the founder of USTA Leagues, often described as the largest adult league in the world with more than 500,000 players.

• The second recipient of the national USTA League Volunteer Award, presented to her in September 2016.

• Founding Director of Reading for Racquets, which uses a multidisciplinary approach to teach tennis and its culture to elementary schoolchildren.

• Southern Cities Championship Founding Director and director for 18 years of this women’s charity tennis event that has awarded thousands of dollars to winning tennis teams to be contributed back to their designated local charity.

• Served two terms as president of USTA Atlanta.

• Served on the USTA Southern Board of Directors as a Delegate at Large.

• Writing as Pat Cunningham Devoto, the author of numerous novels, including “My Last Days as Roy Rogers,” “Out of the Night that Covers Me” and “The Team,” which is about a women’s tennis team.

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Mel Purcell, Kentucky, 2016

• Won 2 Kentucky high school doubles titles with his older brother when he was in middle school and a singles title as a senior.

• Played for at the University of Memphis and won the Metro Conference single and doubles titles his freshman year before transferring to Tennessee where he won 2 SEC titles and captured the 1980 NCAA Indoor Singles Championship and the NCAA Doubles titles and was an All-American.

• Joined the ATP tour and made an immediate impact when he was named the 1980 ATP Newcomer of the Year, was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 1983, and earned his highest singles ranking of number 21 in the world in 1980 and 1982.

• Won 3 ATP singles titles in Atlanta, Tampa, and Tel Aviv and reached the finals 4 other times.

• Won 4 ATP doubles titles and was a finalist in 4 other tournaments, reached a ranking of number 47 in the world in doubles and won a senior doubles title with Bjorn Borg.

• Joined his father as the assistant tennis coach at Murray State and became head coach in 1997 and his team won consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Championships in 2001 and 2002, and he was named the Conference Coach of the Year.

• Inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985 and the 2016 Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015

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Rex Maynard, South Carolina, 2016

Rex Maynard is a man with a big personality and an even bigger heart. In 2016, he will reach his 40th anniversary of volunteering for the USTA.

While it’s easy to measure the length of his selfless giving to the sport, it’s harder to fathom how much he has done to support tennis in his hometown, his state, and in the United States. He began as a local volunteer in his hometown of Belton, South Carolina, population 4,200. Maynard has risen to serve as USTA Southern President and twice as USTA Delegate for USTA Southern. In 2015, he received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor bestowed on citizens of South Carolina.

Outside of tennis circles, Maynard is known as the owner of Maynard Home Furnishings and for appearing in television ads in the upstate of South Carolina using his trademark introduction, “Hello Nice People.” Additionally, there are few in the USTA Southern family that haven’t been touched with Maynard’s exuberance and contagious let’s-have-fun attitude.

Maynard has served as the Palmetto Championships Tournament Director for 35 years. The Palmetto, which was established in 1957 and serves as the South Carolina junior qualifying tournament, won the USTA Southern Junior Tournament of the Year in 1990 and 2008. Dedicated to his hometown’s involvement in tennis, he has also served as President of the Belton Tennis Association for several terms and presently serves as Treasurer. The BTA received the 2013 USTA Southern Community Tennis Association of the Year Award. He established the Hall of Fame Classic for high school girls in 1987; the tournament celebrated its 29th anniversary in 2015 and was named the 2012 USTA Southern Team Event of the Year. Maynard most recently started the South Carolina Men’s Collegiate Championships in 2014 further confirming Belton’s reputation as the “Tennis Capital of South Carolina.”

Maynard has attended and enlivened every USTA Southern Annual Meeting since 1989. He was elected to the Executive Committee member in 2001 and became a Vice-President in 2003. Six years later (in 2009), he was elected USTA Southern CEO and President. During his term as president, Maynard spearheaded several successful projects including bringing big-time professional tennis back to Georgia with the purchase of BB&T Atlanta Open. He personally made it his mission to shake the hand of every ticketholder in its debut year of 2010. He served on the tournament oversight committee for many years and was the Co-Chair of volunteers for the 2015 event.

Maynard was awarded the USTA Southern’s Jacobs Bowl in 2010, the President’s Award in 2011 and the Charles B. Morris Jr. Service Award in 2012. Maynard is currently on the USTA Southern Board and Human Resources Committee. He has served on a long list of USTA Southern committees since 1989.

In 2001, he was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, which he helped establish. He is also the recipient of the following USTA South Carolina honors: Family of the Year, the President’s Award twice, the Junior Council Volunteer Service Award, the Lucy Garvin Volunteer of the Year Award, and the District Volunteer Service Award. He was President of USTA South Carolina in 1994 and 1995. Maynard is a former Chairman and current Treasurer of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation and has served as the Historian for the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame located in the Belton depot since it opened in 1983.

On the national scene, Maynard was honored with the 2014 USTA Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award. He has served as a volunteer at the US Open in 1995 and 2003. Maynard has served on a number of national committees, including Publications, Junior Ranking, Community Development, and Youth Competition and Training. He is currently serving his second two-year term on the USTA Nominating Committee.

One of Maynard’s passions is his service to the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation. He is a past trustee and chairman and presently serves as an advisor. Over many years he has worked diligently to increase donations, including spearheading the production and distribution of new funding, communications, and marketing. He is also a driving force in establishing a foundation website.

• Volunteered to help with the Palmetto Championships in his hometown of Belton in 1976 and has served as the Tournament Director since 1980.

• Served 2 terms as President of the Belton Tennis Association, founded the Hall of Fame Classic girls high school tournament in 1987, the South Carolina Men’s Collegiate Championships in 2014, and was instrumental in starting the Southern SPUD tournament in 2011.

• Led 3 major 5-figure fundraising drives to rebuild tennis facilities in the community, including a $250,000 6-court public park project in 2014.

• Helped establish the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation as its first chair in 1982 and opened the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983, served as volunteer editor of South Carolina Tennis Magazine for 4 years and President of the South Carolina Tennis Association in 1994 and 1995.

• Member or chairman of USTA Southern committees since 1990, elected to the Board in 2001, President in 2009 (when Southern purchased an ATP tournament sanction), USTA Delegate in 2011 and 2015 and Patrons Chair.

• Served on USTA committees since 1991 including Publications, Community Development, Junior Ranking, Junior Competition and Nominating and was USTA Southern Delegate and a member of the USTA Executive Committee.

• Received volunteer service awards in South Carolina (President’s Award and Lucy Garvin Award), Southern Section (President’s Award, Jacobs Bowl, and Charles Morris Award) and USTA (Eve Kraft Award), and was inducted in the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001.

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Tommy Buford, Mississippi & Tennessee, 2016

• Recruited off the baseball team at Rhodes College to take up tennis, winning the Tennessee Intercollegiate Championship in 1956 and 1957. He was inducted into the Rhodes Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

• A standout adult player, longtime and legendary coach at the University of Memphis, a pivotal leader in USTA organizations, and the tournament director of the Kroger St. Jude Classic, now known as the ATP World Tour’s Memphis Open.

• In 1962 began playing USTA tournaments and from 1970 to 1982 was ranked as high as No. 1 in doubles for two years and No. 9 in singles in the USTA Southern rankings. Between 1966 and 1983 he was never ranked below No. 7 in Mississippi, with 14 No. 1 rankings. He won the Southern 35s Singles and Doubles, 1974 Southern Closed 45s Doubles, and the 1979 Southern Senior Open Championships, along with at least nine state championships.

• Playing with his son, Tiger, he won the 1981 USTA Father/Son Clay Court Doubles Championship, an especially proud accomplishment for the elder Buford.

• At the University of Memphis, posted a career mark of 441-262-3 over 32 seasons. He guided the Tigers to six Metro Conference titles and five second place finishes in the league standings. He had five teams win 20 or more matches in a single season.

• Inducted into the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996 and the University of Memphis’ M Club Hall of Fame in 2005.

• Was the USTA Southern Delegate-at-Large and a Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation Trustee from 1979-84 and was the chair of four Southern committees and a member of another committee.

• At the national level, Buford was a charter member of the USTA League Committee and a member of the Membership Committee for Clubs and the Membership Committee for Individuals. In Mississippi, he was the State President from 1977-78 and a member of the Board of Directors and Tennis Foundation of Mississippi for three years, along with the Tennis Hall of Fame Committee.

• He also had a standout career as an official and referee, handling the Southern Senior Championships for 13 years and USTA 55-65 Men’s Clay Court in 1982.

• Coached the Boise High boys’ team to 10 state championships.

Tommy Buford passed away in 2018.

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Fran Chandler, Tennessee, 2015

• Finalist at the 1980 TSSAA State Single Tournament in 1980 while attending Jackson Central Merry High School.

• Played number 1 singles and doubles for Murray State University posting a 52-6 singles record and winning the 1982 Female Athlete of the Year Award.

• Transferred to the University of Mississippi after her sophomore year, earning All-SEC honors in 1983 and 1984 and winning the 1984 Ole Miss Female Athlete of the Year Award.

• Won the Equitable National Husband and Wife Mixed Doubles Championships in 1985 two years after marrying Willie Chandler.

• Won 12 National Singles Championships and 5 National Doubles Championships, ranked number 1 in the nation 7 years, and ranked in the top three 4 other years between 2001 and 2012.

• Represented the United States on the World Cup Team, winning 3 Margaret Court Cup titles as team captain and won the individual World Doubles title in 2008 and the individual World Singles title in 2010 and 2013 and was ranked number 1 in the International Tennis Federation.

• Received the 2008 Slew Hester Adult Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

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Brenda Carter, South Carolina, 2015

• Played intramurals at Georgia Southern University.

• Competed in adult tournaments since the 1980’s, moved to Charleston in 1999, and made her first major mark winning the 55’s singles and doubles titles at the 2001 National Hardcourt Championships, the first of many national singles and doubles titles.

• Ranked number 1 in her age division 8 times from 2001 to 2013 (and within the top 5 the 4 remaining years), won the 2013 65’s singles national championships on 4 different surfaces (clay, hard, grass and indoor, dubbed the “Golden Slam”), and won doubles titles in 3 of 4 championship events.

• Won a World Singles title in 2007 and also has a World Doubles title and a World Mixed Doubles title.

• President of the National Senior Women’s Tennis Association 2009 to 2011 and served two terms on the USTA Adult/Senior Competition Committee.

• Played on numerous South Carolina Senior Cup teams, Southern Intersectional and National teams, and captained the champion United States 65’s team at the 2014 Kitty Godfree Cup.

• USTA South Carolina Adult Player of the Year twice (2001 and 2006), USTA Southern Slew Hester Adult Achievement Award twice (2003 and 2011) as well as the NSWTA Margaret Russo Sportsmanship Award and the Betty Gray Washington Sportsmanship Award, and was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 and the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009.

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John Sadri, North Carolina, 2015

• Top junior player who won the North Carolina State High School Singles Championship while attending Myers Park High in Charlotte.

• Won 2 ACC singles and doubles titles, had a 55-4 singles record the last two seasons at North Carolina State University and earned All-American honors in 1977 and 1978.

• Played John McEnroe in the 1978 NCAA singles finals serving 24 aces before losing the 4 hour match in 4 sets, 3 which were decided in a tiebreaker, with McEnroe winning 144 points and Sadri 143 points.

• Began playing on the ATP World Tour in 1979, made the singles finals of the Australian Open that year, earned a number 14 world ranking in 1980, and played in all 4 Grand Slams.

• Won 2 ATP singles titles at Auckland and Denver and 2 ATP doubles titles in Newport and Stowe.

• Retired in 1988 after 10 years on the tour with an ATP tour singles record of 213 wins against 189 losses and began operating the John Sadri Tennis Academy in Charlotte.

• Inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991 and the International Tennis Collegiate Hall of Fame in 2004.

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Armistead Neely, Georgia, 2014

• Outstanding junior player and a member of the United States Junior Davis Cup team.

• Played number 1 for the University of Florida in the late 1960’s where he never lost a SEC singles dual match in 3 years of competition, was a 2-time All American, served as team captain, and won 2 SEC singles and 2 SEC doubles titles.

• Began a 7-year pro career in 1971 where he won 11 titles on 5 continents, appeared in 3 Grand Slams, and co-founded the first international tennis satellite tour, the first tournaments to award ATP points for satellite competition and established a Masters satellite tour-ending event.

• Coached the University of Alabama men’s team from 1977 to 1981.

• Supervised or directed more than 50 professional and junior tournaments, along with USTA satellite tour stops in Florida and Texas.

• Won 9 singles and 17 doubles titles at USTA National Championships in various age categories and played for 9 United States teams in international team competition, including 5 championship cup teams.

• Inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame.

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Judy Utley, North Carolina, 2014

• USTA League and recreational player and helped create the Gate City Women’s Tennis League and the Carlton Harris, Jr. Tennis League and was President of the Greensboro Tennis Association.

• Served as North Carolina State League Coordinator and as a member of the Board and was elected President of USTA North Carolina in 2000.

• Chaired the North Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation Board and the Foundation Building Committee which raised over $1 million to build the USTA North Carolina offices and North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame.

• Received numerous North Carolina awards for her dedication to the sport including the 1989 Adult/Senior Tennis Council Award, the 1990 and 1997 District Service Award, and the 1997 USTA League Award.

• Chairman of the USTA Southern League Committee, elected to the USTA Southern Board in 2001, President in 2007, and Chairman of the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation in 2011.

• USTA Southern Delegate, a member of the USTA Executive Committee, Learning and Leadership Committee, Adult League Committee and Chairman of the USTA League Regulations Subcommittee, a USTA Council Chair, and Chairman of the USTA Advisory Group on Committees.

• Received the Gerrie Rothwell Award, Jacobs Bowl, and Charles Morris Volunteer Service Award from USTA Southern, the Barbara Williams Leadership Award from USTA, and was inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.

Judy Utley passed away in 2020.

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Randy Stephens, Georgia, 2014

• Began playing tennis as a freshman in college and played on the Georgia State University varsity team in 1976 and 1977.

• Tournament Director for the Southern Closed 14’s and a teaching professional for twenty years before becoming a financial advisor in 2007.

• Elected President of the following organizations and served two terms for each: Macon Tennis Association, USTA Georgia, the Georgia Professional Tennis Association, and the Southern Professional Tennis Association.

• Chaired numerous USTA Southern Committees, including Junior Competition, Sanction and Schedule, and Nominating (twice), elected Southern President in 2001 and later served two terms as Chairman of the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation.

• USTA Southern Delegate and a member of the USTA Executive Committee, chaired the USTA Tennis Innovation and Wheelchair Committees, and served on numerous other national committees as well as the ITF Wheelchair Committee.

• Ranked number 1 in Georgia and in USTA Southern Men’s 35’s, 45’s, and 55’s Doubles and 35s Mixed Doubles.

• Received the USTA Southern Jacobs Bowl in 2000, the Charles Morris Volunteer Service Award in 2003, and has been inducted in numerous Halls of Fame including the Georgia Tennis Professionals Hall of Fame, the USPTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame.

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