Virginia to Name New Tennis Lobby at the Boar's Head Sports Club for Hal Burrows

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April 11, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage announced the lobby of the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club will be named in honor of former Cavalier tennis great Hal Burrows.

Burrows is one of the most celebrated members of the tennis community in Virginia. He won the Virginia State Boys Championship in 1938 and 1939 and the Junior title in 1941 and 1942. Following his service in the US Army Air Force, Burrows attended the University and was a three-year captain and four-year letter winner at Virginia from 1946-49. Burrows won Virginia State Championships in 1946, 1947, and 1948 during his time at UVa. During the 1948 season, he reached the round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament, the equivalent of achieving All-American status.

Following his graduation from Virginia, Burrows was one of the top players on the men’s tennis tour. He teamed with Straight Clark in doubles. The duo was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, reaching the finals of the National Clay Courts, the semifinals twice in the National Indoors, and the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Italian Championships, the French Championships and at Wimbledon. Over the course of his playing career, Burrows recorded victories over 33 different Davis Cup players and was ranked as high as No. 10 in the world in singles. He and Arthur Ashe are the only Virginians to ever represent the United States in Davis Cup competition. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

“Hal Burrows is one of the legends of Virginia tennis and it’s very appropriate that the tennis lobby at the Boar’s Head Sports Club will bear his name,” said Virginia Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage. “Having recognition of Hal in this tennis lobby will be a daily reminder of excellence as our tennis teams strive to help us reach the athletics department’s goals of winning championships.”

The re-designed tennis lobby is part of the UVa squash facility project at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The Boyd Tinsley Courts are the indoor home of the Virginia men’s and women’s tennis programs and are located adjacent to the new squash facility. The lobby, which will feature recognition of the tennis teams and Hal’s accomplishments, is currently in the design phase. The Burrows Tennis Lobby is expected to be complete by the start of the 2013-14 academic year.

The Harold M. Burrows, Jr. Endowed Tennis Scholarship was created by the Virginia Athletics Foundation to honor Hal and his accomplishments. More than $339,000 has been contributed to date by 186 donors to fund the scholarship that is awarded annually to a student-athlete who embodies hard work, integrity, sportsmanship and honor.

Burrows will be recognized during the intermission between the doubles and singles matches of the Virginia-Georgia Tech men’s tennis match on Saturday, April 13 at Snyder Tennis Center. The match begins with the doubles competition at noon.