Utah Tennis Hall of FameThe Utah Tennis Hall of Fame was formed in 1993 to honor and recognize those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to tennis in Utah. Candidates are nominated and elected on the basis of their achievements in tennis, contributions of service to organized tennis, and considerations of tennis maturity and residence.
Click here to preview and print Utah Tennis Hall of Fame Nomination Form
Hall of Fame Executive Committee
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Drew Sweet- Chair
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Bruce Cummings - Fritz Heinecke- Pam Honn Elliott
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Carolee Hammel - Kathryn Wright - Clark Robinson
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Advisors: Cal Nelson and Lee Hammel
1994 UTAH TENNIS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
First Year of Hall of Fame Inductions
Back Row L to R: --------------,--------------, Rick Warner,
Linn Rockwood, David L. Freed, Grant Evans
Front Row L to R: -------------, Dick Bennion
Three individuals were inducted into the Utah Tennis Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony on November 11, 2004 at the Cottonwood Country Club. The three individuals honored were:
KATE WILLIAMS
Born in 1885
Between the years of 1905 and 1918 Kate Williams won the Intermountain Women's Singles Tournament ten times and won Utah State Women's Singles Title twice.
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E.M. GARRETT
Born in 1889
E.M. Garrett won following tournament titles between the years of 1909-1922: Four Intermountain Men's Singles titles and 3 Intermountain Doubles titles, four Utah State Singles titles, and 1 Utah State Doubles titles.
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SAM NEEL
Born in 1876
Sam Neel won a National Men's Doubles Tournament in 1896. Between the years 1896 and 1920 he won the following tournament titles: The Intermountain Men's Singles title three times, the Intermountain Men's Doubles Title 6 times, the Utah State tournament title twice in singles and four times in doubles.
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RALPH McELVENNY
Born in 1906
Ralph McElvenny won the following tournament titles between the years of 1926-1930: Three Intermountain Men's Singles titles, and 1 Intermountain Doubles titles, 1 Utah State Singles title and 1 Utah State Doubles title.
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RUTH CROW NELSON
Born in 1908
Between the years of 1926-1938 Ruth Crow won five Utah State Women's Singles titles and was runner-up four years in the Intermountain Women's Singles Tournament. She was never ranked below No. 2 for 13 years in Utah, and was a University of Utah Champion for three straight years. Her biggest thrill was playing Helen Wills Moody, a legendary women's U.S. and World Champion.
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RICHARD BENNION
Born in 1918
Richard Bennion was ranked No. 4 nationally in Junior Singles and Doubles in 1938. He won the Intermountain Men's Singles and Doubles titles in 1937. In local play he won three singles titles, one doubles title between the years of 1936-38. He was the winner of Eastern Inter-Collegiate Men's Doubles with Gordon Giles in 1938. He was the University of Utah Kerr Cup champion for three years.
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SALLY TIPTON COAN
Born in 1929
Between the years of 1946-1951, Sally Tipton won numerous local tennis tournaments. She was the winner of the Intermountain Women's Singles and Doubles in 1947. Her biggest thrill was playing Maureen Connolly at the old Salt Lake Tennis Club on 9th East. She lost 11-9, 6-0. Her senior tennis has continued in California where she has been ranked in the 4.5/50 and over.
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DIANE HUNSAKER JONES
Born in 1928
Between the years of 1947-1952, Diane Hunsaker was ranked No. 1 twice in singles and in the top 3 seven times in Intermountain competition. She was ranked No. 1 eight times in singles and six times in doubles for the State of Utah. She was a finalist in the National Public Parks Tournament and was ranked no. 2 in the National Public Parks Tennis Association. She was the first girl in Utah to play tennis on a boy's high school team and was know for her competitive spirit and sportsmanship.
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FRANK MEHNER
Born in 1920
Between the years of 1939-1941 Frank Mehner was ranked no. 1 in the Intermountain in Men's Singles and was ranked no. 1 three times in Men's Doubles. He was ranked No. 1 twice in Utah for Men's Singles and three times in Men's Doubles. He played no. 1 on the U of U Team, and reached the finals of 1945 NCAA Tournament losing to Pancho Segura in three sets. He was a three-time All-Army Champion from 1948-1950.
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LINN ROCKWOOD
Born in 1920
Linn Rockwood was ranked No. 1 in the Intermountain 9 times in Men's Singles between the years of 1948-1963. Between the years of 1952-1957, he won three National Public Parks Tourneys and was runner-up three times. The Deseret News named him Athlete of the Year in 1952. He has many rankings in the state as a Senior player. He is known for his steady and retrieving style of play and his longevity as a winning player is unsurpassed.
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RICHARD WARNER
Born in 1923
Richard Warner received State and Intermountain Junior Rankings between the years of 1937-1941. As a Junior he won the Intermountain McIntosh Award and traveled back East to win several tournaments at age 18. He played #1 for the U of U and went to the NCAA Tournament 3 times. In 1946 he pulled off a "triple" in the Intermountain Tournament, where he won the Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles with his sister Emma Lou Warner (Thayne). He received both Utah and Intermountain Rankings in singles and doubles between the years 1942-1946. In spite of a fused right hip at age 9, he achieved tremendous success in the Utah tennis world.
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DAVID L FREED 
Born in 1909
Dave Freed won the following titles between the years of 1932-1941: Three Men's Singles titles and eight Men's Doubles titles in Intermountain and State Tournaments. He was the only Utahan to win the Utah State Open Singles during the Open Era, 1933-1941. He was a Men's National 45 and Over Singles Champion in 1954. He initiated the Little League Tennis program in Utah. In 1960-61, he became the Davis Cup Captain. He served as the Treasurer for the Intermountain Tennis Association from 1934-1978, and also served as the National USTA Secretary from 1960-1964. Through-out his life he spent many years teaching children the game of tennis on his own court.
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EARL W. PIERCE
Born in 1896
Earl W. Pierce won the following tournaments between the years of 1923-1929: Two Intermountain Men's Singles titles, three Intermountain Men's Doubles titles, eight singles and four doubles local titles. He was a member of U.S. Lawn Tennis Association Umpires Council, and served as an official of the Intermountain Tennis Association for approximately 20 years. During that time he served as Secretary, Treasurer and President of the ITA.
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MEL GALLACHER
Born in 1892
Between the years of 1920 and 1935 Mel Gallacher won the following tournament titles: One Intermountain Men's Singles Title, and three Intermountain Doubles titles. He won seven Men's Singles titles and seven Men's Doubles titles. In 1948 he won the National Senior Men's 45 Doubles with John Woodall. He was small in stature and a versatile and "thinking player."
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GRANT EVANS
Born in 1915
Grant Evans won two Intermountain Men's Singles and four Men's Doubles titles from 1936-1941. He won numerous Salt Lake City Doubles tournaments. He played No. 1 on the U. of U. Tennis team without losing a match from 1933-1936. He was ranked nationally in Senior 55's for two years. He was a long time instructor to many Utah junior players.
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FRED "BUCK" DIXON
Born in 1904
Between the years of 1923-1936 Fred "Buck" Dixon won four Intermountain Men's Singles titles, four Intermountain Doubles titles, four Utah State Men's Singles titles and six Utah State Doubles Titles. He was the BYU tennis coach for 34 years from 1928-1964. He was best known for his unorthodox strokes. He was a master of the chop and played with great consistency.
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JAMES OSBORNE
Born in 1945
James Osborne played #1 for U of U from 1963-1967. From 1967-1972 he played on the Professional Tennis Tour. During this time he was ranked in the Top-Ten U.S. Men's Doubles ten times with his highest ranking at #2. He was also ranked in the Top-Ten three times for Men's Singles with his highest ranking at #7. He was members of the following Invitation-Only Teams: U.S. Reserve Davis Cup Team 1967, U.S. State Department Tour of Southeast Asia and Africa, 1967, U.S. Olympic Team, 1968, U.S. Davis Cup Team, 1968, U.S. world Cup Team 1980, U.S. Dubler Cup Team 1981. He has also been the winner of seven National Senior Championships in Singles and Doubles and has been ranked #1 in the U.S. in Men's 35 Singles in 1980, and #1 in U.S. Men's 35 Doubles in 1981. He has had career wins over Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, and Ilie Nastase. His coaching career began in 1970 and has continued to present which includes the following: Assistant Men's Tennis Coach at the U of U, Head Pro at CRC, Head Pro at Fort Douglas C.C. Assistant Tennis Coach Women's Tennis Team at BYU, Head Tennis Coach Men's Team at BYU.
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KATHY ROTHFELS
Born in 1925
Kathy Rothfels served on the UTA beginning in 1969 and as Secretary from 1970-1974. She was the U of U women's tennis coach in 1971 and 1972. Kathy was the manager of the Salt Lake Tennis Club from 1973-1983, and member of the Umpires Association. In 1979 she began competing in national tournaments. She holds many national rankings in Women's Senior Singles and has been ranked in the top five nationally for 12 years. She has won 5 national singles titles in the 50's,55's,and 60's, and has won three national doubles titles in the 60's and 65's. She represented the U.S. in 1988 in Austria and again in 1989 in Germany as a member of the Marble Cup. She became the West High School Girls Tennis coach in 2001. Kathy's most memorable match was in 1980 when she defeated Betty Pratt in a national 55 tournament who was a one-time Wimbledon standout back in 1956. In the same tournament she won the opening set (7-5) against Shirley Fry who was a Wimbledon singles and doubles champion from the mid-fifties.
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JANICE ROMNEY STEVENS
Born in 1936
Between the years of 1957-1978 Janice Romney dominated the Women's Singles and Doubles Rankings in Utah. She ranked #1 in Utah for eight years in a row (1960-1968), and #1 in the Intermountain from 1964-1966 in Singles and Doubles. In 1972-74 she was ranked #1 in the Intermountain 35 Singles for three years in a row, and #1 in Doubles in 1974. Janice received a #5 nationally ranking in Women's 35 Singles and Doubles, and a #3 Nationally for Women's 40 Singles and Doubles. She served on the UTA Board, was the tennis pro at SCRC, a member of the Umpire's Association since 1956. In 1982 Janice was written up in Who's Who in Tennis (May edition).
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LEE HAMMEL
Born in 1920
Between the years of 1934-1948, Lee Hammel won many local tournaments and in 1947 he helped the U of U win the Kerr Cup in the #4 singles position. He was a high school tennis coach for 30 years, ran the Tribune No-champs for 24 years and served as UTA President for two separate terms. He has received many awards for his outstanding service to the tennis community. He was ranked #1 thirteen times in Utah for the Men's 35, 45, 50 and over Singles, and was ranked #1 six times for Men's 35, 45, 50 and over Doubles. He has been ranked national in the 55, 60, 65, 70 and over divisions; 8 times in singles and six times in doubles. In International Play he represented the US in the Britannia Cup twice, and the Crawford Cup once, playing #2 singles, #1 Doubles, #1 Doubles respectively. He is best know for his classic strokes and well-placed (but not particularly fast) serve.
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GORDON GILES
Born in 1919
Between the years of 1935-1945 Gordon Giles was ranked in the Intermountain Junior Doubles, and was ranked #4 in the National Juniors Doubles. During this time he won 10 local and Intermountain doubles titles, and 2 singles tournaments, and held both State and Intermountain rankings. He was the captain of the his U of U tennis team and won the Western Division Collegiate Tournament. In 1938 he won the National Collegiate Doubles. In 1945 he was ranked 6th Nationally in Men's Doubles.
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F.D. ROBBINS
Born in 1951
Between the Years of 1960-1968 F.D. dominated the Utah and Intermountain Junior Rankings in Singles and Doubles. He received National Rankings in the Boy's 18 Singles with his highest ranking at #2 in 1968. He was named to the National Junior Davis Cup Team for four years. In 1969 he wons the National Junior Hard court Singles Championship and was ranked in the top 20 in U.S. Men's Singles. He joined the Pro Tennis tour in 1972 and had a career win over Ken Rosewall in 1975. F.D. was also written up in the 1994 U.S.A. Tennis Yearbook reporting: In 1969 F.D. Robbins played and defeated Dick Dell in the U.S. Open in one of the longest matches ever recorded
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