Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

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

Hugh Thomson, Alabama & Georgia, 1999

Hugh Thomson, Alabama & Georgia, inducted in 1999Hugh Thomson

  • Grew up in Australia where he started playing tennis at age 7 and captured over 50 junior titles and 20 open titles
  • Played college tennis at Mississippi State University where he had a 54-2 SEC record, won 3 SEC singles and 4 SEC doubles championships and led the team to a top 10 national ranking all 4 years
  • Coached the men’s team at the University of Alabama-Birmingham to a Sunbelt Conference Championship and was twice named Sunbelt Conference Coach of the Year and later coached Auburn where his teams won 2 SEC championships and he was named the 1983 SEC Coach of the Year.
  • Played national and international tournaments for the past 45 years and has improved with age, winning over 60 southern and national titles and earning the number 1 national ranking several times
  • Played on many Southern Senior Cup teams and Southern Intersectional teams and has represented the United States over 20 times in national team competition
  • A long time USTA volunteer at the local, state and section levels, he has made numerous contributions to the sport and is a USPTA professional and USTA referee
  • Received the Alabama Tennis Family of the Year Award and has been inducted into the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame and the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame