Roberta Alison Honored by the SEC
7/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- Roberta Alison Baumgardner, Alabama’s first female tennis player, was selected by the SEC as one of six former athletes who have made a positive impact in their community, announced the league office. Beginning in August, the SEC will highlight former student-athletes who have influenced their community, state, region and nation through “stories of character” that will be presented through an integrated media campaign.
Each honoree will have a 30-second radio spot hosted by CBS’s Verne Lundquist to feature their “story of character.” The radio spot will run on all 12 SEC member networks as well as the conference’s radio network. In addition, the story of character will be highlighted on a special section of the SEC website dedicated to the 75th Anniversary.
During her tenure at the Capstone, Baumgardner paved the way for women’s tennis at the collegiate level. In 1963, Baumgardner became the first female member of the Crimson Tide tennis team when head coach Jason Morton asked her to join the men’s squad. At 19 years of age, Baumgardner competed for the men’s team at the No. 4 slot in singles and finished her career at the No. 1 spot.
Baumgardner collegiate highlights include two NCAA Women’s singles titles, one NCAA women’s doubles title, four Blue Gray championships and three SEC tournament championships. In addition to her collegiate success, Baumgardner played the American Tennis Circuit and was a two-time singles finalist at the prestigious Cincinnati event.
To add to her list of achievements, Baumgardner has been inducted to the Southern Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame, the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, the Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame and was part of the inaugural class inducted to the University of Alabama’s Tennis Hall of Fame. Also, the women’s tennis program hosts an annual event named for the tennis legend. The Roberta Alison Fall Classic began in 1984 and continues to showcase the nation’s top tennis powers.
Joining Baumgardner on the list of honorees is Bart Starr, Jerry Pate, Ozzie Newsome, Barbara Mack Harding and Bill Battle.
-UA-
