Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Armstead C. Neely, Georgia, 2014

Armstead C. Neely, Georgia, inducted in 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 cofounded 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

Patrick Dupre, Alabama, 2013

Patrick Dupre, Alabama, inducted in 2013Pat Dupre

  • Born in Belgium, his family moved to the United States where he became a top junior player in Alabama winning 3 Alabama high school state tennis championships and in 1972 became the number ranked 18U junior in the nation in singles and doubles
  • Member of NCAA Championship teams in 1973 and 1974 at Stanford, named All-American all 4 years and was awarded the Rafael Osuna Award for excellence in sportsmanship and leadership
  • Became a major force on the men’s pro circuit in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, reached a ranking of number 12 in the world in 1980, and was ranked in the top 20 in the world in doubles between 1979 and 1981
  • Won a singles title in Hong Kong, was a 9 time finalist in singles and won 4 doubles titles on the ATP World Tour
  • Reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the quarterfinals of the U. S. Open
  • Continued his success on the Legends Tour through 1993 and became a high-ranking teaching professional in Georgia
  • Became first tennis player inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and was inducted in the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame the following year and the International Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012

John Callen, Alabama & Georgia, 2013

John Callen, Alabama & Georgia, inducted in 2013John Callen

  • Top junior player in Birmingham, Alabama where he was undefeated in high school varsity dual matches and was consistently ranked in the top 10 in the South, with a high singles ranking of #3 in the Boy’s 14U in 1967
  • Played 4 years at Georgia Tech where he was co-captain and played number 1 to number 4 singles and number 1 or number 2 doubles
  • Began a 15 year professional career in 1974, which included coaching the winning Georgia Junior Davis Cup team while honing his skills as a player, winning numerous Southern titles and reaching the number 1 ranking in the South in several age groups
  • Served as President of the Georgia Tennis Association, Vice-President and a member of the Management Committee for the Southern Tennis Association and trustee for the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation
  • Named USTA Southern Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in 1989 and has led the section through unprecedented success and growth and is respected among his peers as the top section executive director
  • Instrumental in the purchase of the sanction of the first ATP tournament on the U. S. Open Series in 2009 and his financial oversight helped turn the event into a profitable venture after only 2 years which later became a large windfall for Southern when the sanction was sold in 2015
  • Received the Touchstone Memorial Award in 1992 and was inducted into the Georgia Professional Tennis Hall of Fame, the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame and the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame

Don Varga, Kentucky, 2012

Don Varga, Kentucky, inducted in 2012Don Varga

  • Co-founded the Louisville Tennis Club in 1970 and served as managing partner for 25 years while the club grew to 12 indoor courts and 14 outdoor clay courts
  • Established the Friends of Kentucky Tennis which has raised several $100,000 over the years for scholarships, grants and other special projects
  • Co-founded the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame
  • Served as President of the Kentucky Tennis Association and 8 years on the Southern Tennis Association Management Committee
  • Served a 3-year term as Southern Tennis Association President from 1990 to 1992, a challenging period of notable tennis expansion and leadership change in the South, and the section’s Adult League program experienced exceptional growth attracting a new group of adult players
  • Served as a USTA Delegate and member of the USTA Executive Committee in 1993 and 1994
  • Inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame

Emmett Pare, Louisiana, 2012

Emmett Pare, Louisiana, inducted in 2012Emmett Pare

  • Had a notable playing career but made his mark as the longtime men’s head coach at Tulane University
  • One of the early stars of professional tennis and traveled with the legendary Bill Tilden in his first barnstorming tour in 1931
  • Became the head pro at the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club and head coach of men’s tennis at Tulane in 1933.
  • His record at Tulane over a 40 year span from the 1930’s to the 1970’s is unparalleled as he coached a consistent national power and dominated collegiate tennis in the South
  • Won 18 Southeastern Conference team championships including 9 straight from 1951 through 1959
  • Coached Tulane to the 1959 NCAA National Men’s Championship
  • Died in 1973 and was inducted posthumously into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977, the International Tennis Collegiate Association Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985