Billie Jean King Headlines 2011 SCTA Hall of Fame Class

Written by: Staff on 15th July 2011

Billie Jean King Headlines 2011 SCTA Hall of Fame Class |

LOS ANGELES – Billie Jean King headlines the eight-member induction class of 2011 for the Southern California Tennis Association Hall of Fame. The ceremony on Aug. 5 will close the two-week period of tennis activity in LA for the Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, and will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Joining King, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in the SCTA Hall will be past SCTA and USTA President, Franklin Johnson; together with fellow players Dorothy Head Knode, Pat Canning Todd, Kathy Mae Fritz and Hugh Stewart along with coaches Billy Martin and Dick Leach of NCAA championship teams and long-time tennis administrator.

The induction ceremony will take place just days after the 85h annual Farmers Classic is held July 25-31 at the LA Tennis Center on UCLA’s campus featuring ATP World Tour stars Juan Martin del Potro, Mardy Fish, Fernando Gonzalez, Marcos Baghdatis, James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt, Dmitry Tursunov, Janko Tipsarevic, Xavier Malisse and Kei Nishikori, among others who are scheduled to play.

The eight being honored this year will join the 62 previously inducted members of the Hall of Fame. Below is a look at the Class of 2011:

Billie Jean King is one of the founders of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), World Team Tennis and The Women’s Sports Foundation. On the court, she won 67 singles and 101 doubles titles, including a record total of 39 Grand Slam titles.

Franklin Johnson is the current Chairman of the Farmers Classic, and a former President of both the SCTA and the USTA. He remains active in the sport as a Vice President of the ITF, with roles on numerous committees and boards from the SCTA and USTA to the ITF and International Tennis Hall of Fame. One of his greatest accomplishments was leading the successful effort to rename the USTA National Tennis Center in New York after Bill Jean King.

Dorothy Head Knode played in the 1940s and 50s and was ranked in the top 10 many of those years, including reaching a career high of No. 5 in the world. She reached the final of the French Open in 1955 and 1957.

Pat Canning Todd is best known for her four Grand Slam championships, including the 1947 French Open singles crown as well as two in women’s doubles, and one in mixed doubles. Todd was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world.

Kathy May Fritz once ranked No. 8 on the women’s pro tour in the late 1970s. Fritz reached the quarterfinals at the French Open twice and the US Open once. She was a fixture in the top 20 on the women’s tour for many years and has been winning USTA National senior championships eve since.

Billy Martin was an NCAA singles champion and has been on coaching staff of the UCLA men’s tennis team for 27 years. As a player, he reached the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals in 1977 and was selected ATP Rookie of the Year. As the head coach for the past 18 years, he has compiled a record of 383-79 (.829). In 2005, he led the Bruins to the NCAA championship.

Dick Leach, himself an All-American player at USC, spent 23 years as Trojan’s men’s tennis coach, winning three NCAA championships and seven conference titles. He boasted an overall record of 529-133 (.799). Leach was inducted into the Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003.

Hugh Stewart was an NCAA champion at USC, winning the doubles title in 1951 and the singles title in 1952. A member of the US Davis Cup team, he advanced to the Round of 16 in singles at both Wimbledon and the US Open and was the 1952 Farmers Classic doubles champion.

SCTA Hall of Fame ticket information is available by contacting Martha Katsufrakis by email at marthak@scta.usta.com or by phone at (310) 208-3838, ext 238. All proceeds will benefit the Youth Tennis Foundation, which is the Association’s charitable arm to support junior tennis in Southern California.

Additional information about the Hall of Fame, including a listing of all previous inductees, can be found at the SCTA website.