Virginia Men's Tennis Coach to be Inducted into Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame

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April 9, 2001

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia men’s tennis coach Dick Stockton will be inducted into the United States Tennis Association’s Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame on April 20, 2001. The ceremony will be held in the Delegates Dining Room of the United Nations building in New York City.

Stockton joins fellow 2001 inductees Paul Cranis, who will be recognized for his career as a senior player, George Seewagen, a longtime coach, and Lee Jackson, who has served as a WTA umpire and referee. The four 2001 inductees will be members of the 14th class to be inducted into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame. Other members include 1997 inductee John McEnroe, 1995 inductee Vitas Gerulaitis, 1994 inductee Mary Carillo and 1988 inductees Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson.

“I am humbled by this honor,” Stockton said. “What a thrill it is for me personally to join such an elite group. I have known each of the other three inductees all my life, and I am truly honored to be going into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame with them.”

Stockton enjoyed an illustrious career as a professional player. At the peak of his professional career, Stockton was ranked #8 in the world (1977). He reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in ’74 and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open in ’76 and ’77. Stockton also played on five U.S. Davis Cup Teams (’73, ’75, ’76, ’77, ’79), including the 1979 team that captured the Davis Cup. He was the ’77 U.S. Pro Indoor Champion, and was a semifinalist in the ’78 French Open. In 1986, he was ranked #1 in the world in the 35-and-Over Division and was ranked #4 in 1987.

Stockton was equally proficient in doubles. He was the U.S. Open Mixed Doubles Champion in ’75 and the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Runner-Up in ’76. He won the French Open Mixed Doubles Championship in ’84 and was the World Mixed Doubles Champion for three consecutive years from ’75-’77. Stockton is also a three-time U.S. Open 35-and-Over Doubles Champion (’87, ’89, ’90), and a three-time U.S. Open 45-and-Over Doubles Champion. His most recent U.S. Open title came at the 2000 Open, when he teamed with partner Tom Gullikson to win his third 45-and-over title.

In his first two seasons as a collegiate coach, Stockton has led the Virginia men’s tennis team to a 40-25 record. The Cavaliers garnered their fourth straight bid to the NCAA Team Championships and ninth overall in 2000. UVa is currently ranked 49th in the country and owns a 10-5 overall record (3-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference). Cavalier Brian Vahaly is ranked #12 in the country in singles, while Vahaly and doubles partner Huntley Montgomery comprise the nation’s second-ranked doubles team.