Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Ernest M. Sutter, Louisiana, 1996

Ernest M. Sutter, Louisiana, inducted in 1996Ernest Sutter

  • All-American at Tulane University
  • Won 2 consecutive National Intercollegiate Singles Championships in 1936 and 1937
  • Won the 1936 Southern Singles and Doubles Championships and the 1937 Southern Doubles Championships
  • Ranked in the top 6 in singles in the South between 1934 and 1939 and #1 in the South in doubles in 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1939
  • Ranked #21 in the nation in 1936 and #22 in 1937
  • Won the 1961 National Senior Doubles Championships with his brother Cliff
  • Inducted into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame, the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame

Eugene Ray, Georgia, 1996

Eugene Ray. Georgia, inducted in 1996Eugene Ray

  • Involved as a local competitor, teacher and organizer and known as “Mr. Tennis” in Clayton County
  • Devoted much of his time to introducing tennis to local residents, maintaining the only 2 courts in the county, giving free lessons to juniors and adults and running tournaments
  • Began playing senior tournaments at age 60 and restricted himself to 10 tournaments per year, but still earned 21 number 1 Georgia rankings and 9 number 1 Southern rankings
  • Won all 6 Southern tournaments he entered in 1984 at age 80
  • Played few national tournaments, but earned wins over several nationally ranked players, including Bitsy Grant
  • Attained his highest national singles ranking of number 5 in the 85’s in 1990
  • Inducted into the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995

Jane Crofford, Tennessee, 1996

Jane Crofford, Tennessee, inducted in 1996Jane Crofford

  • Involved in tennis at the local, sectional and national levels
  • Helped start junior programs in Nashville and became President of the Nashville Tennis Association and the Tennessee Tennis Association
  • Chaired the Southern Tennis Junior Tennis Council and served as the Tournament Director for the Southern Boys & Girls 16 and 18 Closed Championships for several years
  • Served on the USTA Senior Tennis Council and the Sanction and Schedule Committee
  • Began playing competitively in her mid-30’s and won over 40 national championships
  • Represented the United States at multiple international team events and was World Tennis Magazine’s Player of the Year in 1968
  • Inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993

Linda Tuero , Louisiana, 1995

Linda Tuero , Louisiana, inducted in 1995Linda Tuero

  • Won 6 national junior titles, including the USTA Girls 14U Singles Championships, Girls 16U Singles and Doubles Championships and the Girls 18U Clay Court Championships
  • First woman to receive an athletic scholarship to Tulane University, first woman to play on a varsity team and the first woman to receive a varsity letter
  • While at Tulane achieved a #1 women’s world ranking in the 21U division and won the 1969 and 1970 U. S. Amateur and 1970 U. S. Open Clay Courts
  • Turned pro in the early 1970’s and reached a ranking of number 10 in the world in 1972 when she won the Italian Open
  • Member of the 1972 and 1973 United States Wightman Cup and Federation Cup teams and served as captain of the Federation Cup team in 1973
  • Competed in all the grand slam tournaments, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 1971 French Open
  • Inducted into the Tulane University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985

M. Marshall Happer III, North Carolina, 1995

M. Marshall Happer III, North Carolina, inducted in 1995

Won the North Carolina Junior Championships and 2 state high school championships and played at the University of North Carolina

Served as President of the Raleigh Community Tennis Association, the North Carolina Tennis Association and the Southern Tennis Association

Founder and President of the Raleigh Racquet Club, a 25-court non-profit tennis facility, in 1968

Member of the USTA Executive Committee and nominated for USTA Treasurer in 1981

Chief Operating Officer of the Men’s Tennis Council, the international governing body for men’s tennis, from 1981 until it dissolved in 1989

Executive Director of USTA from 1990 to 1995 and continued to serve as an outside counsel to the USTA after his retirement involved in television contracts, sponsorships and other business contracts for the U. S. Open through 2009

Inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2014