2016

Mel Purcell, Kentucky, 2016

Mel Purcell won two Kentucky high school doubles titles with his older brother, Del. Not bad for a middle-school student from Murray.

The young prodigy went on to win an NCAA doubles championship, seven ATP crowns, reached No. 21 in the world in singles and No. 17 in the year-end Grand Prix standings in 1982 and 1983, arguably the best Kentucky tennis player ever. Other notable achievements include being named 1980 ATP Newcomer of the Year and reaching the quarterfinals at 1983 Wimbledon and winning the 1980 NCAA Indoors. He was inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Purcell hasn’t strayed from his Bluegrass State roots, which just may have caused International Tennis Hall of Fame journalist Bud Collins to nickname him “Huck Finn” in 1980.
His father, Bennie, was the Murray State head tennis and assistant basketball coach after a record-setting career as a MSU Hall of Fame and Washington Generals hoops player. Mel is in his 18rd year as the men’s head tennis coach, following five years in which he was his father’s assistant.

After winning the Kentucky High School championship as a senior at Murray High School, Mel moved on to the University of Memphis and won the Metro Conference singles and doubles titles in his freshman year. His coach that year was Tommy Buford, who is also being inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.

In the next year, Purcell transferred to Tennessee and raked in two SEC titles. He captured the 1980 NCAA doubles title with Rodney Harmon and was named an All-American.

Purcell made an immediate impact on the ATP World Tour in 1980, finishing as the finalist in Indianapolis, semifinalist at the Japan Open and quarterfinalist in Atlanta and Maui. He reached his highest singles ranking of No. 21 twice, in 1980 and 1982, and finished No. 28 or higher in four straight end-of-year rankings.

The next year was his watershed season, taking the Atlanta, Tampa and Tel Aviv titles. Additionally, he advanced to the French Open round of 16 twice while also being the doubles runner-up and singles semifinalist in Denver. He reached four other ATP singles finals: 1982 Boston and Los Angeles, and 1983 Monte Carlo and Vienna. During his career, he defeated former No. 1 players Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Stan Smith, Ilie Nastase and Guillermo Vilas.

Teaming up with four different partners, he was victorious in doubles in Vienna twice (Smith in 1983 and Tim Wilkison in 1987), WCT/Delray Beach (Eliot Teltscher) and Munich (Chip Hopper). He also reached four other finals in doubles. He won a senior doubles title with Borg. His career high of No. 47 in doubles came in 1984 and he won nearly $800,000 in ATP prize money.

At Murray State, he guided the program to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2002. The team’s performance in those two seasons led to Purcell being named OVC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002. After going 4-2 against OVC teams during the regular season in 2001, the Racers claimed the OVC Championship and earned a bid to the program’s first NCAA Tournament. In 2002, the squad went undefeated (5-0) in the OVC and captured Murray State’s 19th OVC Championship.

Induction into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame

Mel Purcell, Kentucky, inducted in 2016

Won 2 Kentucky high school doubles titles with his older brother when he was in middle school and a singles title as a senior
Played for at the University of Memphis and won the Metro Conference single and doubles titles his freshman year before transferring to Tennessee where he won 2 SEC titles and captured the 1980 NCAA Indoor Singles Championship and the NCAA Doubles titles and was an All-American
Joined the ATP tour and made an immediate impact when he was named the 1980 ATP Newcomer of the Year, was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 1983 and earned his highest singles ranking of number 21 in the world in 1980 and 1982
Won 3 ATP singles titles in Atlanta, Tampa and Tel Aviv and reached the finals 4 other times
Won 4 ATP doubles titles and was a finalist in 4 other tournaments, reached a ranking of number 47 in the world in doubles and won a senior doubles title with Bjorn Borg
Joined his father as the assistant tennis coach at Murray State and became head coach in 1997 and his team won consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Championships in 2001 and 2002 and he was named the Conference Coach of the Year
Inducted into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985 and the 2016 Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015

Rex Maynard, South Carolina, 2016

Rex Maynard is a man with a big personality and an even bigger heart. In 2016, he will reach his 40th anniversary of volunteering for the USTA.

While it’s easy to measure the length of his selfless giving to the sport, it’s harder to fathom how much he has done to support tennis in his hometown, his state and in the United States. He began as a local volunteer in his hometown of Belton, South Carolina, population 4,200. Maynard has risen to serve as USTA Southern President and twice as USTA Delegate for USTA Southern. In 2015, he received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor bestowed on citizens of South Carolina.

Outside of tennis circles, Maynard is known as the owner of Maynard Home Furnishings and for appearing in television ads in the upstate of South Carolina using his trademark introduction, “Hello Nice People.” Additionally, there are few in the USTA Southern family that haven’t been touched with Maynard’s exuberance and contagious let’s-have-fun attitude.

Maynard has served as the Palmetto Championships Tournament Director for 35 years. The Palmetto, which was established in 1957 and serves as the South Carolina junior qualifying tournament, won the USTA Southern Junior Tournament of the Year in 1990 and 2008. Dedicated to his hometown’s involvement in tennis, he has also served as President of the Belton Tennis Association for several terms and presently serves as Treasurer. The BTA received the 2013 USTA Southern Community Tennis Association of the Year Award. He established the Hall of Fame Classic for high school girls in 1987; the tournament celebrated its 29th anniversary in 2015 and was named the 2012 USTA Southern Team Event of the Year. Maynard most recently started the South Carolina Men’s Collegiate Championships in 2014 further confirming Belton’s reputation as the “Tennis Capital of South Carolina.”

Maynard has attended and enlivened every USTA Southern Annual Meeting since 1989. He was elected to the Executive Committee member in 2001 and became a Vice-President in 2003. Six years later (in 2009), he was elected USTA Southern CEO and President. During his term as president, Maynard spearheaded several successful projects including bringing big-time professional tennis back to Georgia with the purchase of BB&T Atlanta Open. He personally made it his mission to shake the hand of every ticketholder in its debut year of 2010. He served on the tournament oversight committee for many years and was the Co-Chair of volunteers for the 2015 event.

Maynard was awarded the USTA Southern’s Jacobs Bowl in 2010, the President’s Award in 2011 and the Charles B. Morris Jr. Service Award in 2012. Maynard is currently on the USTA Southern Board and Human Resources Committee. He has served on a long list of USTA Southern committees since 1989.

In 2001, he was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame, which he helped establish. He is also the recipient of the following USTA South Carolina honors: Family of the Year, the President’s Award twice, the Junior Council Volunteer Service Award, the Lucy Garvin Volunteer of the Year Award and the District Volunteer Service Award. He was President of USTA South Carolina in 1994 and 1995. Maynard is a former Chairman and current Treasurer of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation and has served as the Historian for the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame located in the Belton depot since it opened in 1983.

On the national scene, Maynard was honored with the 2014 USTA Eve F. Kraft Community Service Award. He has served as a volunteer at the US Open in 1995 and 2003. Maynard has served on a number of national committees, including Publications, Junior Ranking, Community Development, and Youth Competition and Training. He is currently serving his second two-year term on the USTA Nominating Committee.

One of Maynard’s passions is his service to the Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation. He is a past trustee and chairman and presently serves as an advisor. Over many years he has worked diligently to increase donations, including spearheading the production and distribution of new funding, communications and marketing. He is also a driving force in establishing a foundation website.

Induction into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame

Rex Maynard, South Carolina, inducted in 2016

Volunteered to help with the Palmetto Championships in his hometown of Belton in 1976 and has served as the Tournament Director since 1980
Served 2 terms as President of the Belton Tennis Association, founded the Hall of Fame Classic girls high school tournament in 1987, the South Carolina Men’s Collegiate Championships in 2014 and was instrumental in starting the Southern SPUD tournament in 2011
Led 3 major 5-figure fundraising drives to rebuild tennis facilities in the community, including a $250,000 6-court public park project in 2014
Helped establish the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation as its first chair in 1982 and open the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983, volunteer editor of South Carolina Tennis Magazine for 4 years and President of the South Carolina Tennis Association in 1994 and 1995
Member or chairman of USTA Southern committees since 1990, elected to the Board in 2001, President in 2009 (when Southern purchased an ATP tournament sanction), USTA Delegate in 2011 and 2015 and Patrons Chair
Served on USTA committees since 1991 including Publications, Community Development, Junior Ranking, Junior Competition and Nominating and was USTA Southern Delegate and a member of the USTA Executive Committee
Received volunteer service awards in South Carolina (President’s Award and Lucy Garvin Award), Southern Section (President’s Award, Jacobs Bowl and Charles Morris Award) and USTA (Eve Kraft Award), and was inducted in the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2001

Tommy Buford, Mississippi & Tennessee, 2016

Tommy Buford: Distinguished Coach, Tournament Director, Player

It was 1953 and the Rhodes College baseball team was looking forward to getting its top recruit on the field. Unfortunately, the tennis coach spied the player accurately banging tennis balls off of the school’s gym wall. He never played baseball for the Lynx.

That was the beginning of a lifelong career in tennis for Tommy Buford. His impact in Southern tennis is as varied as it is impressive. His accomplishments include being a standout adult player, longtime and legendary coach at the University of Memphis, a pivotal leader in USTA organizations and the tournament director of the Kroger St. Jude Classic, now known as the ATP World Tour’s Memphis Open.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he lived most of his life in Memphis. He lived for three years in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Rhodes College website touts Buford as being one of its most successful men’s players. His early victories included winning the Tennessee Intercollegiate Championship in 1956 and 1957. He was inducted into the Rhodes Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

College success just got Buford going in competitive tennis. In 1962 he began playing USTA tournaments and defeated Lester Sack, who would be inducted into Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. From 1970 to 1982, he was ranked as high as No. 1 in doubles for two years and No. 9 in singles in the USTA Southern rankings. Between 1966 and 1983 he was never ranked below No. 7 in Mississippi, with 14 No. 1 rankings. He won the Southern 35s Singles and Doubles, 1974 Southern Closed 45s Doubles and the 1979 Southern Senior Open Championships, along with at least nine state championships.

Playing with his son, Tiger, he won the 1981 USTA Father/Son Clay Court Doubles Championship, an especially proud accomplishment for the elder Buford.
His tenure as University of Memphis head tennis coach began in 1966 and helped Memphis return men’s tennis as an intercollegiate sport in 1967. Leading the Tigers until 1998, he posted a career mark of 441-262-3 over 32 seasons. He guided the Tigers to six Metro Conference titles and five second place finished in the league standings. He had five teams win 20 or more matches in a single season.

Probably his greatest Memphis player was Mel Purcell, who is also being inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.

He was also inducted into the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996 and the University of Memphis’ M Club Hall of Fame in 2005.

Buford began teaching tennis at Racquet Club of Memphis began in 1974. He helped put Memphis on the international tennis map as Kroger St. Jude Classic/US Indoor Tournament Director in the 1980s. The event raised $2.6 million for St. Jude and was voted the leading ATP World Tour event. In 1985 he was voted by tour professional players as one of the world’s top six tennis officials. He represented North American tournaments on the ATP Tournament Council for numerous years, including a turbulent period in which players threatened to strike.

But, Buford had another host of accomplishments as a USTA volunteer. He was the USTA Southern Delegate-at-Large and a Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation Trustee from 1979-84. He was the chair of four Southern committees and a member of another committee.

The United States defeated Argentina in the 1979 Americas Inter-Zonal final and Buford was the event organizer.

At the national level, Buford was a charter member of the USTA League Committee and a member of the Membership Committee for Clubs and the Membership Committee for Individuals. In Mississippi, he was the State President from 1977-78 and a member of the Board of Directors and Tennis Foundation of Mississippi for three years, along with the Tennis Hall of Fame Committee.

He also had a standout career as an official and referee, handling the Southern Senior Championships for 13 years and USTA 55-65 Men’s Clay Court in 1982.
Is Buford slowing down? Last spring, at the age of 81, he coached the Boise High boys’ team to its tenth state championship.

Tommy Buford, Mississippi & Tennessee, inducted in 2016

The Rhodes College tennis coach recruited him off the baseball team in 1953 and he became one of the school’s most successful players winning the Tennessee Intercollegiate Championship in 1956 and 1957
Began playing USTA tournaments in 1962 and was ranked as high as number 1 in doubles and number 9 in singles in the South and won the Southern 35’s Singles and Doubles, the 45’s Doubles and the Senior Open along with 9 state championships and won on the 1981 USTA Father/Son Clay Court Doubles Championships with his son Tiger
Head men’s tennis coach at the University of Memphis from 1966 to 1998 posting a career record of 441-262-3 and winning 5 Metro Conference team championships over 32 seasons
Began teaching at the Racquet Club of Memphis in 1974 and was the tournament director for the Kroger St. Jude Classic in the 1980’s which raised over $2.6 for St. Jude and was voted the leading ATP World Tour event and had a standout career as an official and referee
Chaired 4 Southern Tennis Association Committees and was elected Southern Vice President from 1979 to 1983 and a Trustee for the Patrons Foundation
Charter member of the USTA League Committee and served on several other national committees
Inducted into the Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame, Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame and University of Memphis Hall of Fame