Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

William “Bill” Weathers, North Carolina, 2008

William “Bill” Weathers, North Carolina, inducted in 2008Bill Weathers

  • Worked a full time job as a youngster and learned the game in Chapel Hill under the direction of longtime UNC coach John Kenfield while serving in the United States Navy
  • Learned and improved quickly and made the varsity team for the University of North Carolina at the number 4 and 5 positions
  • After serving in the Navy transferred to North Carolina State University playing the number 1 singles position 3 years
  • Won over 300 North Carolina and Southern singles and doubles tourna-ment titles and held the number 1 singles ranking in every age group since the 55’s and won numerous sportsmanship awards
  • Served as Director of Tennis at a private country club in Pinehurst and is known for his exceptional clay court maintenance skills
  • Received the 1982 North Carolina Tennis Family of the Year Award
  • Inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005

Lisa Spain-Short, Georgia, 2008

Lisa Spain-Short, Georgia, inducted in 2008Lisa Spain-Short

  • Ranked number 1 in Georgia and number 34 in the nation in the Girl’s 18U
  • Compiled a 56-1 state AAAA high school match record, winning 4 state singles championships
  • Received the first full women’s tennis scholarship at the University of Georgia where she played number 1 singles and doubles 4 years winning the Southeastern Conference Singles Championship in her junior and senior seasons and was named All-SEC 4 years and All-American 3 years
  • Won the ITCA All-American and the 1984 NCAA Singles Championships
  • Continued her tennis career on the Women’s Tennis Association pro circuit from 1984 through 1987 playing in all 4 grand slams and reaching a ranking of number 63 in the world
  • Teaching professional at the Atlanta Athletic Club
  • Inducted into the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011

Stan Smith, South Carolina, 2007

Stan Smith, South Carolina, inducted in 2007Stan Smith

  • Tennis legend and highly touted as one of the best male tennis players to ever play the sport, but perhaps is best known for sportsmanship and dedication to the game and the world famous Stan Smith tennis shoe by Adidas with over 30 million sold
  • 3 time All-American at the University of Southern California winning the 1967 Intercollegiate doubles title and 1968 singles and doubles titles
  • Dominated the pro tour in the early 1970s, ranked number 1 in the United States 4 years and number 1 in the world in 1971 and 1972, won the 1971 U. S. Open and 1972 Wimbledon singles titles, won 4 U. S. Open and 1 Australian Open doubles titles and appeared in the finals of 8 other grand slam tournaments
  • Top Davis Cup player, competing on the United States team 11 years, finishing with a 22-2 record and winning 7 Cup victories
  • Won 4 grand slam senior titles, including the 1984 and 1985 35’s at Wimbledon and the 1984 U. S. Open and the 2002 and 2004 55’s U. S. Open
  • Moved to Hilton Head Island in the late 1970’s and launched a coaching career, serving as Director of Coaching for the USTA Player Development program from 1988 to 1995, 2000 head coach of the Men’s Olympic team and founded the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy
  • Inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and 2 other California Hall of Fames

Kay McDaniel, Louisiana, 2007

Kay McDaniel, Louisiana, inducted in 2007Kay McDaniel

  • Purchased her first tennis racquet at age 11in Shreveport with 50 Green Stamp books and soon became a top junior player earning the number 1 ranking in the USTA Southern 14U, 16U and 18U girls divisions
  • Played number 1 singles at Louisiana State University, earned 3 time All-American honors and reached the singles semifinals of the National Collegiate Tournament
  • Joined the professional tour and competed in 6 Wimbledon Championships, 6 U. S. Opens and 3 French Opens and earned a world ranking of number 30 in singles and number 20 in doubles
  • Won a Virginia Slims singles title in Atlanta and doubles titles in Houston and Las Vegas
  • Won the award for the “Fastest Serve in Women’s Tennis”
  • Coached the Lee University tennis team and was named the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference Coach of the Year
  • Honored by the Louisiana governor and Council on Physical Fitness and Sport with an Outstanding Achievement Award

Paul E. Scarpa, South Carolina, 2006

Paul E. Scarpa, South Carolina, inducted in 2006Paul Scarpa

  • Top junior player in the 1950’s, ranked number 1 in South Carolina and number 3 in the South and won the Southern Boy’s 18U Sportsmanship Award
  • Played number 1 singles and doubles at Florida State University and won the NCAA Eastern Intercollegiate Championships
  • Became head tennis coach at Florida State and the United States Naval Academy before being named the head tennis professional at Greenville Country Club and head men’s coach at Furman University in 1966, a college coaching position he held for over 45 years
  • Coached at Furman for 45 years winning over 800 matches and a winning percentage of over .625 and the school proclaimed April 10, 1999 as Paul Scarpa Day before his 1,000th Furman match
  • First college coach in South Carolina to develop a tennis camp on a college campus in 1970, which became one of the highest regarded camps in the South drawing the best young talent in the region and nation
  • Awards include 1990 and 2000 South Carolina Coach of the Year, numerous Southern Conference Coach of the Year and Furman named their championship court and have endowed a scholarship in his honor
  • Inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, the Furman University Athletic Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame