Roberta Alison
Encyclopedia
Roberta Alison Baumgardner (born December 13, 1943, Alexander City, Alabama
– died March 20, 2009, Alexander City, Alabama
) was a noted American
female tennis player.
She helped pave the way for women's varsity athletics when she joined the men's tennis team at the University of Alabama
in 1963, aged 19. Jason Morton, tennis coach at Alabama at the time, found Alison training on grass courts in Tuscaloosa
in preparation for the U.S. National Championship (now known as the U.S. Open
). He convinced her to attend Alabama and play on the men's tennis team. This was the first official move toward allowing women to participate in varsity athletics in the Southeastern Conference
of the NCAA.
She played on the men's team for three years. She was in the No. 4 position her first year but played in either the No. 1 or No. 2 position in her second and third years. Some of the competing schools men's varsity teams would default to her rather than risk playing against a woman and losing.
Alison won the women's collegiate singles title in 1962 and 1963, and paired with Justina Bricka of Missouri for the 1963 NCAA doubles title. Alison also was a four-time Blue Gray champion, and a three-time Southern tournament champion.
She was a member of the Southern Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame, the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, the Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, and was in the first class enshrined into the University of Alabama’s Tennis Hall of Fame. The Roberta Alison Tennis Classic is held each year at the University of Alabama
.
She also played the American tennis circuit. At the event in Cincinnati
, she was a singles finalist in 1962 and 1965, and won doubles titles in 1962 (with Mary Habicht of Brazil), 1963 (with Linda Lou Crosby) and 1965 (with Stephanie DeFina
).
After her tennis career, Roberta spent her life in Alexander City, AL. As a lover of animals she helped start the Lake Martin Humane Society and was active in LMHS activities for many years.
Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City is the principal city of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Coosa and Tallapoosa counties and had a combined population of 53,677 at the 2000 census....
– died March 20, 2009, Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City is the principal city of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Coosa and Tallapoosa counties and had a combined population of 53,677 at the 2000 census....
) was a noted American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
female tennis player.
She helped pave the way for women's varsity athletics when she joined the men's tennis team at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in 1963, aged 19. Jason Morton, tennis coach at Alabama at the time, found Alison training on grass courts in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
in preparation for the U.S. National Championship (now known as the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
). He convinced her to attend Alabama and play on the men's tennis team. This was the first official move toward allowing women to participate in varsity athletics in the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
of the NCAA.
She played on the men's team for three years. She was in the No. 4 position her first year but played in either the No. 1 or No. 2 position in her second and third years. Some of the competing schools men's varsity teams would default to her rather than risk playing against a woman and losing.
Alison won the women's collegiate singles title in 1962 and 1963, and paired with Justina Bricka of Missouri for the 1963 NCAA doubles title. Alison also was a four-time Blue Gray champion, and a three-time Southern tournament champion.
She was a member of the Southern Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame, the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, the Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, and was in the first class enshrined into the University of Alabama’s Tennis Hall of Fame. The Roberta Alison Tennis Classic is held each year at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
She also played the American tennis circuit. At the event in Cincinnati
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
, she was a singles finalist in 1962 and 1965, and won doubles titles in 1962 (with Mary Habicht of Brazil), 1963 (with Linda Lou Crosby) and 1965 (with Stephanie DeFina
Stephanie DeFina
Stephanie DeFina was an American amateur tennis player in the 1960s.DeFina was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1966 through 1968, reaching a career high ranking of seventh in 1967.In 1966, she reached the final of the U.S. Women's...
).
After her tennis career, Roberta spent her life in Alexander City, AL. As a lover of animals she helped start the Lake Martin Humane Society and was active in LMHS activities for many years.